


When Night Falls

by Forever_Tank



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: ...That are also true, Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Angst, Arguments, Assault, Bloodlust, Canon Characters with minor roles, Character Against Self conflict, Corpses, Death, Death of non-canon characters, Doubt, F/F, False Accusations, Garnet has serious anger issues in this, Gore, Hope, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Intentional out of character, Kidnapping, Like you won't miss them they don't even have names, Mention of Mercy Killing, Minor breakdown, Morality, Named non-canon characters, Open to Interpretation, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Pearlnet is msotly minor, Primary canon character focus, Really minor death, Self-Induced Vomiting, Self-Mutilation, Swearing, Taunting, Violence, Werewolf!Garnet, Werewolves, Wolfsbane, implied racism, painful transformation, stab wounds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:58:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 59,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10035281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forever_Tank/pseuds/Forever_Tank
Summary: ... The scratches would heal. They would scar over, but at least they would heal. The trauma might take a bit more time, but that would go away too. The bite? No. One bite is all it takes. One bite was all it took for Garnet's life to take a turn for the worst. (DISCONTINUED)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted this on FF.net and was sort of on the fence about posting it here (Mainly because I am stupid and have no idea how to deal with formats :P) This is a continuation of a oneshot I posted on FF, which can be found on my account of the same name.

Maybe it had something to do with the uncomfortable silence of the night, or maybe it was because she was walking in the 'bad' side of town at 5am, but something didn't feel right.

It was a feeling she was unfortunately acquainted with; one that she felt before hearing the news of Rose's- her longtime friend and mentor- passing. One that she felt before she was demoted in the police force because of 'wrongful handling of evidence' (In other words, she threw away a paper bag from a crime scene that provided no contribution to the case and that she was authorized to get rid of, but since Garnet didn't run it through the captain first, it was an automatic demotion. Then again, the captain hated her and would do anything to discredit her). The only drawback that came with having some sort of sixth sense for bad things is not knowing when it will happen. Garnet had the 'feeling' weeks before Rose actually died, and she had the feeling two days before the captain demoted her.

Which is why she was concerned now.

The night sky was cloudless, and filled with stars and the light of the waxing gibbous. The air was cool and felt refreshing compared to the smog she was breathing in moments before, returning from her 2nd job as a security guard for a company that just so happened to be located next to a factory. Overall, it was hard for Garnet fathom how something bad could happen tonight or any other night, but she learned to not doubt the feeling.

Garnet sped up her pace, wanting nothing more than to be in the comfort and safety of her own house; she was paranoid due to the sleep deprivation and the caffeine crash she was experiencing. She made a mental note to stop trying to substitute sleep with coffee. Eventually, her quick strides carried her over to her house, uniform with the other ones with its beige walls and red roof. Garnet pulled her keys from her pocket and shoved them in the lock, turning it and pushing the door open.

Setting her bag down by the door, Garnet sighed in relief as she locked the door behind her and the feeling she had earlier subsequently disappeared. Maybe she just avoided getting stabbed, or maybe what was meant to happen just will happen at a later date. Either way, she was satisfied, and walked to her room whistling.

Or perhaps it was too soon for relief.

Only an hour after falling asleep, Garnet woke up groaning as she held her hand to her forehead, clenching her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut at the pain of the migraine that had formed. She reached blindly for the medication she kept by her bed, but only found empty space between her fingers and the bedside table. She flipped over to her side, hesitantly opening her eyes in an effort to locate the bottle. Instead, she saw nothing except for her prescription sunglasses, meant for blocking out the very light that caused her migraines. Garnet rolled over to her side with a huff; she knew it was a bad idea to 'tough it out' and leave her glasses at home. Her thoughts trailed back to the feeling. Could this be it, the 'bad' thing that was supposed to happen? Seemed pretty tame compared to the other times.

Garnet shook her head subconsciously; she shouldn't become obsessed with the feeling like usual- that always led to even more bad things. Garnet closed her eyes once more, deciding to attempt to sleep it off.

* * *

 

Garnet moved her head from side to side, popping the stiff joints as she continued to fill out the paperwork in front of her. Her desk was relatively clear, save for a stack of papers at the corner of it and her name plate at the front. The captain refused to assign her on duty, insisting that there were enough officers on duty already (There were four officers on duty and three of them are in training) and that she should stay at the station to do work. Of course, she had no choice in the matter and begrudgingly agreed to it, to which the captain smirked at like it was some sort of victory for him and strode away from her desk. Garnet gritted her teeth in frustration at the memory; the captain was a smug, shady asshole, and if wasn't for the nepotism the chief had for him for being his son, he probably would have been behind bars already. There was, unfortunately, nothing she could do about it, not without being fired by the chief or captain.

Garnet frowned deeply. The subtle corruption at the station annoyed her; the realization that she couldn't do anything about it made the annoyance even worse. She didn't sign up to be a part of some drama show. Garnet rubbed her temple, and let out a sigh, thinking about how if she wasn't so easily bored with working mundane and casual jobs, she would have quit the force out of frustration months ago. Though, maybe it was good that she stayed; at least something could get done around the station. Garnet shuffled the paperwork, and resumed filling it out.

"Clarke!"

Garnet jumped slightly at the sound of the captain's voice. She looked up from her desk, seeing him, red-faced and angry, marching up to her desk.

"Captain," she said calmly, "what is the problem?" He seemed to become even more enraged at her calmness, judging by the way he clenched his fists at his sides.

"I thought I told you to finish that paperwork an hour ago?!" He said sternly. The corner of Garnet's mouth twitched in annoyance.

"Captain, you handed me the paperwork and told me to do it. You offered no timeframe." Garnet replied. The captain paused at this, seemly unsure now that he lost his reason to yell at her. His eyes darted from side to side, before he finally uttered-

"Well, do it faster" and scurried out of her office. Garnet watched after him, letting out a sigh and leaning back in her chair. She entertained the thought of finding some way to convict him- a suggestion that her coworker offered multiple times- by digging through his office for anything suspicious. Instead, she rid her mind of the thought and went back to doing paperwork.

* * *

 

Garnet stared at the door of the house, suddenly feeling unsure of herself. The confidence she felt earlier seem to deflate away somewhat, without any chance of returning to her. She threw the box she was carrying to the side, into the rose bushes and out of site. Garnet sighed and held her hand up, knocking firmly. She could hear shuffling behind the door, before it was opened and she was greeted by the site of a curly-haired, short boy. He looked up at Garnet and grinned widely.

"Garnet!" He exclaimed happily, jumping forward and hugging her legs tightly. Garnet smiled gently, reaching a hand down to ruffle his hair.

"Hello Steven," She said in her deep voice, "I didn't expect to see you here."

Steven was Rose's son, and practically the son of Pearl as well with how much she took care of him. Pearl was close to Rose, and swore to always watch over him while she was on her deathbed. Pearl, in Garnet's opinion, took that promise to an extreme level. For one, she handled all of Steven's needs; homeschooled him, took him shopping for clothes or food, and had him stay over at her house most of the time. This was all under the pretense that Greg, Steven's father, was inept at taking care of him (Garnet thought he was very capable, and felt bad that he was treated like he was a deadbeat by Pearl), all because he lived in a van and dropped out of university years ago, never mind how he was able to provide well enough financially for Steven in order for Pearl to take care of him. Garnet thought Greg was luckily Pearl didn't take Steven from him completely.

"Pearl wanted to have an extra lesson today," Steven explained, still enthusiastic, "She is teaching me how to fence!" He finished excitedly. Steven paused for a moment, his face expressing confliction.

"I don't think I was supposed to tell you that." Steven said. Garnet didn't have a chance to reply, as Pearl had made her appearance in the entryway of the door. She gave Garnet a wide smile, brushing a lock of strawberry pink hair behind her ear.

"Garnet! What a wonderful surprise! Come on in." She invited, stepping out of the way and pulling Steven with her. Garnet stepped into the house, shutting the door behind her. She turned to face Pearl with a smile.

"How are you Pearl?" Garnet inquired of her friend. Pearl shrugged somewhat uncharacteristically.

"Frazzled, I suppose. Things have been so hectic lately at the center; there's a strain of the flu virus going around. I've barely enough time to breath." Pearl replied. Garnet nodded. She felt a hand tug at her jacket, and looked down to see Steven holding Lion, his pet cat, up to her.

"Look! I brought him over this time; I told you he was pink!" Truthfully, the cat was a faint shade of blonde that somewhat resembled pink under the soft lighting of the house, but either way Garnet let out a small gasp of surprise, playing along.

"So he is." She murmured in false astonishment. Steven gave her a toothy grin before turning around and bolting into another room, talking Lion with him. Garnet looked over at Pearl again, seeing that her expression had turned sullen. Garnet raised an eyebrow.

"Is something the matter?" Her accented voice broke Pearl's train of thought; she looked towards Garnet.

"Greg and I had a… disagreement, a bit earlier. He doesn't like how I'm interfering with his time with Steven," Pearl started. Her sullen expression suddenly changed into one of indignation "the nerve that man has! He interfered with our classroom time, which is why I had to have Steven over for another lesson today, and then blamed it on me." Pearl ranted. Garnet nodded, indicating that she was listening, but she allowed herself to look off to the space behind Pearl's head, daydreaming. Pearl's ranting was a distant background noise now.

'I should tell her'

Garnet frowned slightly. She had been holding it off for a while, but it wouldn't hurt if she waited for another encounter or so. She inwardly sighed at how she could face dangerous criminals every day or have a gun pointed to her head on other, rarer days, but expressing her feelings is what had her running away.

"Garnet, are you listening?" Pearl's voice brought her back to reality, her eyes darting back over to her face. Garnet shuffled her feet slightly out of embarrassment.

"Sort of; I heard almost the exact same story last week. You should give Greg a break sometime Pearl, he is Steven's father" Garnet offered. Pearl stared at as if she had grown a second head. She turned her long, pointed nose to the air and scoffed, turning around and walking off. Garnet watched after her.

'Strange' Garnet thought to herself. Pearl hadn't acted like that in a while. Maybe she should have listened to her recount of the events; it was possible she missed an important detail. Garnet let out a sigh. She didn't feel like dealing with it at the moment. She headed off to the back room, searching for Steven.

* * *

 

Her tired eyes watched the cameras vigilantly. There had been a break in this week, and chances were the thief may come back for more. If she happened to be on duty that night, she would of caught him before he could even step foot on company property. Instead, the thief made out with a few hundred dollars, and she was assigned to camera duty because the previous one was fired for her incompetence. She leaned further back in the office chair, shutting her eyes in an attempt to rest them for a bit. Her radio crackled to life, startling her slightly.

"Clarke, do you copy?" A man's voice sounded over the radio. Garnet pressed the button and responded.

"Yes, what's wrong?" Garnet sat up in her chair, waiting for the man's reply. The radio crackled again.

"Uh, I have a situation with some screaming, naked guy in the lot. Can you please assist?" The man asked. Garnet snorted slightly, a smile making her way onto her lips as she replied-

"Sure" Switching off the radio, she stood from her chair. She exited the camera room and turned left, walking down the long corridor of the building. She whistled slightly, following the pathway to the lot. As she approached the exit, she felt a wave of nausea pass over her, causing her stop and hold her stomach with her hand. It felt as if a ball of lead and settled in her stomach. She instinctively knew that this was the 'feeling' again. Something was going to happen with that man in the lot. She reached for the baton on her utility belt, and pushed the exit door and walked out onto the lot.

It wasn't hard to spot the officer in the distance; the lot was completely void of cars and their uniforms were a bright shade of yellow to help make them stand out to each in the night. She strode over to the officer, who was looking off into the distance with crossed arms and a furrowed brow. Garnet tapped him on his shoulder. He didn't turn to face her.

"He's been out there for a few minutes now. Came outta the woods and just fell and started screaming. I tried talking to him and he got all pissy. I'm not paid enough to handle these things." The remark at the end was more to himself then to Garnet, but she found herself nodding in agreement anyway. She tightened her grip on the baton.

"I'll talk to him" Garnet said. She made her way towards the man.

The full moon shone down on lot, illuminating the man in the distance slightly. Garnet mentally profiled him, already preparing to fill out the incident report later on. The feeling came back once more, filling her stomach with lead and making her sweat profusely. Garnet was almost reluctant to approach him. She couldn't remember the last time the feeling had been this bad.

'Relax' she thought to herself. Garnet knew she could handle him, he looked particularly scrawny. She crossed ¾ of the lot now, almost near the woods the man had come out of. She could hear his screaming clearly now. It sounded pain-filled and somewhat distorted. She was immediately reminded of the time she had to detain a suspect who was on bath salts, and how he screamed the exact same way as the man before her now. Maybe it was just a common side effect of the drug. She stopped five feet in front of the man. Garnet unsheathed the baton.

"You are trespassing on private property," the man fell silent at her voice, "You have the option to either leave now or face charges against-." Garnet trailed off slightly as she looked the man, if he could even be called that. He was covered with an absurd amount of hair, his nails were sharp and his hands were unnaturally elongated along with his fingers. He was baring sharp teeth at her and growling lowly.

"What the fuck?" Garnet murmured, stepping back and putting her other hand on her gun. The man stood up on feet that resembled paws, still growling at her. She suddenly became aware of the fact that she could hear bones breaking, the noise happening so frequently it sound like someone was crumpling paper, and muscles stretching. The source of the noise was coming from the man, there was no doubt about that, but what shocked her was that he was changing in front of her. She could see the hair push out of his skin, the muscles swell and form, and his mouth slowly beginning to stretch into a muzzle. Garnet felt rooted to her spot, unable to move a single inch, from horror.

Was this even real? Did she fell asleep in the short amount of time she decided to close her eyes and dreamt his whole thing? No, it was real, it had to be. Garnet never experienced dreams this vivid before. The man- no, monster- grinned at her as best as it could with its stretching mouth, stepping towards her. Garnet inwardly shook off the fear she was feeling, albeit with difficulty, and pulled her gun from her holster. She wasted no time in taking aim

"Stand back, now" She warned it, even though Garnet knew it would be futile. The monster grinned even wider, and continued its advancement. Garnet, feeling threatened enough to condone use of her gun, fired three shots at it. The bullets impacted the monster's chest, sending it falling backwards and onto the ground with a strangled noise. Garnet let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her hands shook violently as she stared down at the still breathing creature. She heard running behind her.

"What the hell did you use your gun for, Clarke?! Are you ma-" the guard's voice fell silent. He was too staring down at the monstrosity before them. It was slowly standing up. It didn't resemble a man anymore, and the sound of snapping and popping bones was gone, filling the air with a deathly silence. It stood to its full height, towering over both of them completely. It started growling deeply. Garnet heard the other guard draw his gun, and she took aim again, this time for the head. She fired the gun, the bullet hitting the beast straight between the eyes. It didn't crumble to the ground, nor did it howl in pain, even as the other guard began firing as well, emptying his clip in the monster's chest. It simply growled louder, before suddenly giving them a terrifying, wolfish grin, one the made Garnet and the guard freeze again. Garnet felt her heart pounding in her chest, the hairs on her arms and back of her neck stood on end. She forced herself, once more, to aim, this time for the creature's heart. It noticed this, and snarled at her. It fell back on its haunches, staring straight at her.

Powerful legs pushed the monster off the ground, launching itself toward Garnet.


	2. The Bite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream sequences/ unconscious moments are meant to be confusing.

The beast slammed into her at full force, knocking the air from her lungs and sending her down to the pavement. She let out a small cry as her back made contact with the ground, only for it to be cut short by the beast landing atop her chest. It slashed at her, its claws catching the skin of her left shoulder and tearing it with easy, leaving three marks in its place. Garnet choked out another cry of pain, attempting to push it off her in her panic. She heard the sound of a gun popping as the other guard desperately tried to kill the monster. It all but ignored the bullets; its focus on her and her only. Its muzzle stretched into a grin as it lifted a paw to Garnet's face.

It dragged its claw slowly down her jawline and to her neck, keeping its red eyes trained on her mismatched ones the whole time. Blood bloomed from the wound, leaking down the side of her neck and face, and staining her already bloodied uniform. The gun popped again, and this time the beast shrieked in anguish as a bullet ripped through its chest, only inches away from its heart. It whipped around to face the other guard.

"Shoot it!" The guard yelled at her, as the beast began to advance towards him. Garnet reached for her gun, which had been knocked away from her, grabbing it and aiming at the Beast's heart as best as she could with her shaking hands.

Click.

Empty. Garnet reached for her utility belt, choking back a sob of pain as her shoulder burned in agony at the motion. She grabbed a second clip from her belt, and loaded the gun just in time for the beast to pounce on the man. She heard screaming, and the sound of ripping and tearing as the beast tore him to shreds. Garnet squeezed her eyes shut and attempted to focus on the task at hand. She stood up on shaking legs, and took a stance that allowed her to get a clearer shot. Her arm trembled due to her injured shoulder, but she stilled herself long enough to empty the entire clip into the beast's back. It roared loudly in both rage and pain, before crumpling to the ground.

Garnet let out a shaky breath, wide eyes staring at the beast's corpse. Slowly she approached it, taking a moment to bend down and pick up her forgotten baton off the ground. Walking slowly and quietly, she stopped only two feet away from the beast's head. It didn't appear to be breathing. Instincts screamed at her to call for backup and run away as fast as she could, but curiosity won over, and she unsheathed her baton. Gently, she prodded at its head with the baton. It didn't respond.

Drawing her arm away to reach for her radio, the beast suddenly sprang up. Latching one paw on her calf and the other on her mid back, its powerful jaws clamped down on her left wrist, making her drop the baton. Garnet screamed in pain, and began to beat the side of its head with her other hand. Pure panic filled her being as it began to pull, intending to take her arm off; its paws tore away at the skin and muscles on her calf and back. Her hand beat uselessly at its head, before an idea came to mind. Without hesitation, she jammed her thumb into its eye, gouging it. The monster screeched in pain, and pulled away from Garnet. It looked at her, pure hatred in its working eye. It turned, and ran off into the woods.

Garnet watched after it, wobbling on her feet, her vision dotted with black spots. She fell to her knee, her other leg refusing to work after the damage it took. Slowly, Garnet looked down at her wrist. It was bleeding profusely, the wounds only barely visible amongst the red. Her other, uninjured hand reached shakily towards her radio. She opened the channel.

"Officer Clarke down. Need... backup"

Garnet collapsed on the pavement

* * *

 

Heat.

She was burning up. Her skin was on fire. Garnet rubbed frantically at it, attempting to dispel the heat but with no luck, as something kept pulling her hand away. She would snarl at it, whatever it was, and swiped at it with her other hand. She could barely make out a voice scolding her, but she didn't care. She just wanted the heat to go away.

Pain.

The pain in her wrist was excruciating. The pain in Garnet's shoulder, neck, calf, and back went away with whatever drug she was being administered, but the pain in her wrist refused to leave. It was as if every muscle was being ripped to shreds, while her skin was being peeled off slowly. Garnet wanted it to stop. She clawed and rubbed at the bandages, attempting to tear them off in an attempt to get to her wrist. She was met with more scolding, and slight prick in her other unscathed wrist.

Fear.

She wasn't alone in the room, no. Garnet was vaguely aware of other people with her, such as the one that incessantly scolded her whenever she acted out. There was another one; however, it stayed near her bed, growling at her, scratching at her legs. She tried kicking it, but it did nothing to deter it. It refused to moved, slowly crawling up the bed until it was directly at her ear, growling. She desperately tried to push it away from her. It crawled closer, until it was at her face and-

* * *

 

Garnet was awake.

Her vision cleared enough for her to see she was in a white room, bare except for a few seats in the corner and a painting on the wall. She sat up, but immediately groaned in pain and fell back down on the bed. She reached a hand towards her left shoulder, and rubbed it, feeling the rough texture of the gauze covering it. Garnet furrowed her brow; how did she get here? She couldn't remember much from the night before.

Was it even the night before?

The door to the room opened, and a doctor walked in. He was focused on a clipboard, but looked up and saw that she was awake. The doctor's eyes slightly widened.

"Miss Clarke, you're conscious. Surprising." His gruff voice commented. He walked towards the edge of the bed and stood there, looking at her.

"How are you feeling?" He inquired of Garnet. Garnet frowned, and gripped the sheets of the bed tightly in her hands.

"Like shit." She said. The doctor nodded at that, reaching upwards to take off his glasses and clean them on his scrubs. Garnet was briefly reminded of her own glasses, and wondered where they were, as the bright lights of the hospital room hurt her eyes.

"Well, that's to be expected. You did survive a mauling. Do you still feel feverish?" He followed up with another question. Garnet stayed quiet. So she was mauled.

"How long was I out?" Garnet asked the doctor. He looked slightly annoyed that she ignored his question, but otherwise answered.

"6 days. You had one the highest fevers I've ever seen; it's a miracle you're still alive. You also wouldn't stop waking up and having fits in the operating room; do you have a history with anesthetic resistance?" Garnet stared him, mouth slightly open.

6 days?

She tried to remember how she even got into the hospital in the first place, but her mind only drew blanks. Garnet was about to ask the doctor who admitted her to the hospital, when she saw he had left his previous spot. He had set down the clip board on a nearby tray, and approached the side of her bed.

"I'm going perform a mandatory checkup; please cooperate." He commanded more than asked of her. Garnet slowly nodded and allowed him to check her. First, he used his stethoscope, pressing it on her chest and listening. He raised an eyebrow during the action.

"Irregular; your heart is beating faster than what's considered healthy." He wrote this down on the clipboard. He tugged his stethoscope down and retrieved a light.

"I'm going to check your eyes for irregular dilation; I understand you have been diagnosed with photophobia, so I ask you to bear with me for a few moments." The doctor said. Garnet nodded slowly. He moved forward and placed his head on her head, using his index finger and thumb to keep her eye open. He shone the light in her eyes. Almost immediately, Garnet pulled back and covered her eyes with her hand, growling at him.

"Dilation is normal." The doctor muttered to himself. Garnet gingerly placed a hand on her lips, somewhat concerned at the noise she had just uttered. the doctor scribbled on the clipboard some more, then turned and left the room, leaving her alone. Garnet watched after him, long after the door shut behind him. Slowly, she shifted her gaze down to the bed. She grabbed her blankets and threw them aside, wanting to see the extent of her injuries.

Gauze was wrapped around her midsection, as well as her right calf. She glanced towards her left shoulder, trailing her eyes down the bandaging until she made eye contact with her bandaged wrist. Garnet reached a hand towards it, scratching at it. She felt a sharp pain shoot down her arm, and winced, drawing her hand back. Still, her wrist began to burn. She wanted the bandage off.

She tugged at it with her fingers, attempting to dig her fingers between the wrappings to loosen them, but it was wrapped far too tightly for her to find any purchase with it. Garnet scratched at the bandage again, hoping that her nails would catch against it. When that failed as well, Garnet simply reached her wrist towards her mouth and pulled at the wrappings with her teeth. After a minute or so of yanking at the bandaging, it came loose. Garnet unwrapped it quickly.

It was stitched up and, judging by the red that stained her skin, had bled recently. Teeth marks surrounded the side part of it; it was clear where the front part and the bottom part of the jaw had been. Strangely enough, the burning had stopped once the bite was exposed to the air. Garnet let out a sigh of relief. With nothing else to do but stare at a wall all day; Garnet rolled over and went to sleep.

* * *

 

Screaming, tearing, roaring.

It was almost like she was there.

Was she there? It felt real, but it was a dream.

No. It was real; she remembers it vividly, down to the pain and fear.

Garnet had walked towards the thing, prodding it with her baton until it sprang up and attacked her once more in an effort to finish her off. It had bit her, but it ran off once she jammed her thumb into its eye socket.

Her wrist was burning again. It hurt.

She wanted the pain to stop, but it wouldn't.

It had spread to her entire arm now; she could barely move it. Each little motion felt like hellfire shooting through her muscles and veins. It soon spread to the rest of her body.

Garnet couldn't move.

Everything went dark suddenly. She was no longer back at the lot. She was alone.

The pain stopped. Garnet reached out into the darkness on a whim. In the distance, glowing yellow eyes stared back at her, only watching. Garnet stood on shaky legs, and started towards it.

No matter how far she walked, she couldn't reach the pair of eyes. They seemed to move farther and farther away from her. Eventually, Garnet realized that she was being whispered at as she walked.

_'Don't go towards it'_

_'Walk away'_

_'Wake up'_

It annoyed her greatly, and she covered her ears. She continued her trek towards the eyes. Soon enough, the eyes stopped moving, and she was getting closer to them. Reaching out, she was almost close enough to touch them...

The shadows growled at her. The eyes shone with glee for a moment, at her stepping away from the shadows and towards the eyes in an attempt to get away from the inky blackness. Garnet felt arms wrap around her waist and, before she could react, they pulled her forwards, towards the eyes.

She didn't freefall like she expected; she met hard ground, but now the eyes were below her, staring up at her. Garnet glared at them.

"What are you?" She asked. The eyes reflected glee once more.

_**"I think you know."** _

* * *

 

Garnet's eyes shot open. She was awake once more. Groaning, she sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes and sweat-soaked brow. Fleeting images of her dream crossed her mind, but none of them made sense to her at the moment. Her mind felt far too muddled to focus on anything. She rubbed her temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on. She was only allowed a few minutes of silence before the door to her room was opened again. The doctor from before walked in.

"Your vitals are normal, and your heartbeat is no longer irregular. You can be discharged tomorrow." He relayed to Garnet. She simply stared at him, not responding. He shifted his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"Uh, is something wrong, Miss Clarke?" He asked her. Garnet shook her head.

"No. Sorry, I was lost in thought." Garnet murmured. the doctor nodded.; he left the room once more. Immediately after the door shut, Garnet let out a groan and ran her fingers through her curly afro.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" She muttered to herself. She could barely think straight, and remembering anything that happened within the last 24 hours was now starting to become difficult. Was this the first time she woke up today? She shook her head to herself; it couldn't have been, she definitely had to be awake earlier, otherwise the doctor wouldn't be discharging her. Garnet frowned. She didn't like the doctor, something about him made her jumpy. Now if only she could remember what made her not like him.

It was a lost cause, everything was far too confusing at the moment for her to even attempt to mull over her dislike for him. Instead, she laid back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I think you know," Garnet murmured to herself absently, "what is that supposed to mean?" It was question more towards herself than anything, but something else- something unseen- responded to her.

_**"You'll see soon"** _

Garnet jumped, sitting up and looking around her room for an intruder. She found no one, which did nothing but put her on edge. Slowly, she lowered herself back down towards the mattress, eyes still nervously glancing around the room.

She was just hearing things.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. People Like You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet realizes how little she remembers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who has two thumbs and rewrote a draft and published it at 4 am because they were two lazy to do it during the day? *points at self*  
> Who has two thumbs and figured out how to format? *Points at self*  
> Who posted this 3 times because they keep on forgetting to change publication date? *Points at self*  
> Who is pretty much hopeless when it come to learning how to work basic shit on simple websites? *Points at self, albeit sadly*

**People Like You**

_I probably shouldn’t be driving._

Garnet struggled to keep her eyes focused on the road. It was proving difficult, however, as they seemed to keep on drifting over to look at anything other than the road. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, the corner of her lips tugging down into a deep frown. The pain medication she was prescribed and had taken earlier wasn’t even that strong, so she didn’t have the slightest clue on what was pulling her focus away from her. Not trusting in her ability to drive, Garnet pulled the car off to the side of the road and parked it.

Garnet sighed to herself, rubbing her forehead with one hand. Her shoulder ached from holding her arm in a fixed position, and her back was on fire for sitting up too long. Garnet grimaced; she should have called someone. Her hand fiddled around in her pocket as she mulled over whether or not to have someone pick her up. In the end, she decided that she didn’t want anyone to see her like this. Leaning back in car seat, Garnet briefly closed her eyes, attempting to shake off the feeling of disorientation that had crept up on her.

_Pull it together._

Her mind refused to cooperate. Every single thought that flickered by was muddled and refused to leave. She could feel a headache beginning to form. Garnet opened her eyes, staring ahead at the dashboard of the car.

Someone was watching at her through the rear-view mirror.

Garnet jolted and whipped around as far as she could with the seatbelt on, the action pulling at the stiches in her back. She searched frantically for the figure, eyes scanning over the seats and down in the space between them. She found no one. Turning back, she finally recognized the near blinding pain in her back. Pressing a hand on the wound in an attempt to soothe it, she leaned forward and rested her head on the steering wheel.

“Fuck!” Garnet yelled out in a mix of pain and frustration. She sucked in uneven breaths, waiting for the pain to pass by. She rubbed at her eyes with her free hand. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

 

Only by some miracle was Garnet able to get home without crashing into anything. She turned the keys in the lock and pushed the door upon, greeted by the silence and darkness of her house. The darkness was a relief, as her shades were still gone; apparently she wasn’t checked in with them on her person, the doctor had explained to her. Garnet chucked her keys out of site, limping slightly over to the couch. She took care to set herself down on the cushions gently, not wanting to risk anymore injury to her back. She rested her arm over her eyes, frowning as she was reminded of her shades yet again.

Not only had the doctor been cryptic in his explanations, but the nursing staff as well, when she had questioned them before leaving. No one seemed to have a clear answer to how she got there. Garnet could barely pull enough together on her own to make a reasonable explanation. Her car was waiting for her in the lot, but she was obviously in no condition to drive at the time. Her shades were gone, yet she still had her phone, keys, and wallet waiting for her when she checked out. Hell, she even had a change of clothes waiting for her as well.

It was strange, now that she thought back at it. Garnet could remember just enough to know that she was at her night job when whatever happened had occurred, but everything else was a blurry mess or just completely blank. She would have to go back once she was in the condition to and ask around. Garnet tugged her phone out of her pocket, turning it on. She immediately saw a message on the lock screen, 3 days old and from Pearl.

‘ _I understand if you need space.’_

Garnet furrowed her brow. She pulled up the entire conversation.

_Pearl- I haven’t heard from you in a few days; are you alright?_

_Garnet- I’m at the hospital._

_Pearl- What? What happened?! Are you ok???_

_Garnet- Fine._

_Pearl- What happened?_

_Garnet- Minor incident at night job._

_Pearl- I can visit you after work; I get off early today._

_Garnet- No._

_Pearl- Oh. May I ask why?_

_Garnet- I don’t want to see you._

_Pearl- Oh…_

_Pearl- I understand if you need space._

As she read the last message, Garnet sat up a bit, her eyes scanning over the conversation over again. She didn’t remember texting her, not only that, but the tone of the texts didn’t sound like her at all. Garnet hit the call button, holding the phone up to her ear and waiting for the line to pick up. The dial sounded for a few moments, before it picked up.

“Hello?” Pearl’s voice sounded tired. Garnet cleared her throat.

“Pearl, hello.” She said. The line was silent for a bit; she could hear the rustling of cloth in the background.

“Garnet? What do you need? How are you?” Pearl sounded significantly more awake, and somewhat concerned. Garnet breathed a sigh of relief. She took a moment to switch the phone to a different hand, as her wrist began to pulse.

“I’m fine. I just wanted to call to let you know I’m out of the hospital now.” Garnet paused for a moment. “I’m sorry for the messages I sent you, I honestly don’t remember sending them.” Garnet finished. More silence, Garnet grimaced as she waited for a response.

“It’s alright. It was a bit jarring at first. Never mind that. You were just released?” Pearl replied. Garnet fell silent for a moment.

“Yes, I was in there for six days from what I’ve been told. I was mauled.” Garnet explained. She heard Pearl let out a noise of surprise.

“What?!” Her voice had risen in pitch. “How did that even happen? It’s not like there are any dangerous animals outside of the forests.” Pearl ranted. Garnet shrugged unconsciously.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember anything about it.” Garnet said. She winced, glancing down at her wrist. It was beginning to burn again.

“How bad is it?” Pearl asked her, her voice taking on a tone of concern again. Garnet sighed, and began to rely the injuries described to her by the doctor.

“Well, I was bitten on the wrist; it punctured the ulnar artery and barely missed the radial artery. Apparently, that was a good thing, because I would have bled out within seconds if both were punctured, not that it wasn’t a close call in the first place. I had to get a couple dozen stiches in my calf for three different scratches. The muscle was partially torn in the process, but I don’t need anything to aid in walking since the tear is minor.” Garnet paused for a moment, deep in thought. The pause was long enough to raise Pearl’s concern.

“Are you there?” Pearl asked. Garnet breathed out evenly, shaking herself from her stupor.

“Sorry. I was scratched on the shoulder and neck, they needed stiches but weren’t too bad in terms of severity. My lower back was sliced into pretty deeply, and I accidently pulled the stiches a little while ago. I think he mentioned a minor fracture on my shoulder blade. I suffered a lot of blood loss as well and had to get a transfusion.” Garnet stopped, frowning a bit. “I think that’s it.”

“Do you need me there?” Pearl asked her. Garnet smiled a bit.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll probably just sleep off the medication.” Garnet began, “I shouldn’t keep you any longer; I just wanted to let you know I was out.” She finished.

‘Well, alright. Please call me if you need anything.” Pearl said.

“I will. Goodbye.” Garnet affirmed her.

“Goodbye.” The line clicked. Garnet threw the phone down on the cushion and scrubbed at her wrist. The burning sensation had steadily increased during the conversation, and at this point it was nearly unbearable. She was, however, strictly ordered not to remove the bandage again unless for cleaning it, as it could risk infection. Groaning in discomfort, she removed her hand from her wrist, instead reaching for the phone once more. Garnet scrolled through her messages, finding that she had also informed both of her bosses about not being able to come in. Same went for any coworkers that had inquired about her.

None of it made any sense, Garnet decided. She was obviously conscious enough to hold a coherent conversation with people, yet it wasn’t enough to remember anything. Her headache finally began to settle in, and Garnet figured it was a good time to get some sleep. Settling herself back down on the couch, Garnet closed her eyes. She would figure it all out later.

* * *

 

**Why can’t you remember?**

She was back at the hospital again. The room was dark, it stunk of blood, and it was completely silent. She stared ahead, however, not paying mind to anything. Garnet looked down at her hands, which were stained red. She was barely aware of an odd taste in her mouth.

**Do you know if this is real?**

Garnet winced; there was a ringing in her ears that steadily got louder. She looked up again, staring at the wall. It was splattered with gore. Her eyes glanced down, looking at the person propped against the wall, unmoving. She could only gaze at it absently, feeling no emotion welling up. She did breathe slightly faster, however, for reasons she did not know.

**Did we do that?**

The door opened and the doctor walked in. He paid no mind to the remains of the human next to the wall. Instead he sat down in a chair and pulled up next to her. Garnet shrunk away from him. He stared at her, his gaze unnerving her.

“Do you know him?” He asked her. Garnet tried to speak, but no words escaped.

“You should.” The doctor informed her. He leaned back in his chair, writing something down on the clipboard he had with him. He briefly looked up at her. He faltered in his scribbling.

“You lived, and he died.” The doctor started. Garnet listened intently. “I’ll let you decide whether he got the worse end of the stick or not.” The doctor said, nonchalant in his delivery. Garnet finally found her voice.

“Was it me?” her voice was hoarse. The doctor sighed softly, not paying attention to her, focused on his damn clipboard like usual.

“Nope. Not yet, anyways.” He said simply. He continued to scribble, and they sat in an uncomfortable silence. On a sudden whim, Garnet put a hand up to her mouth, acknowledging the wetness around it. Finally, she spoke again.

“Why are you here?” She asked in a slightly hostile tone, remembering her initial dislike for him. The doctor sighed again.

“Get used to it. I may not be here again, but there is no rest for people like you.” The doctor sneered. Garnet became indignant, glaring and growling at the doctor.

“What do you mean by ‘people like me’?” She challenged. The doctor let out yet another sigh, this time it was exaggerated and angered Garnet even more.

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Surviving comes with a price, a big one at that. You have 25 days of normalcy. Enjoy them while they last.” With that he stood up from his seat, and began to walk off. Garnet wouldn’t have it, though. She too stood up, and marched over to him, grabbing him by the shoulder and turning him around.

“What do you me-“She stopped. The illusion of the room and the doctor had fallen apart before her, leaving her in darkness. She stood there, confused and angry. She looked down at her hands again, still stained with blood.

**Will we do that?**

* * *

 

Garnet shot up, gasping for air. Her back screamed in protest at the sudden motion, and her wrist was still on fire. In fact, it seemed that all her wounds were flaring up in pain now. The pain medication must have worn off. She glanced towards the window, seeing that it was now dark out. She rubbed at her neck with her hand, before pulling it away and glancing down at both of them. They were clean. It didn’t feel that way, however. She rubbed her hands together. Images of the nightmare passed before her eyes, and she was reminded of the doctor’s words.

“25 days.” She murmured to herself. Garnet was curious, but at the same time skeptical. Either way, she stood from the couch, stretching briefly before striding over to the dining room, connected to the living room with only an entryway between the two rooms. Garnet walked over to the calendar she kept hanging on wall but never really found a use for. Her eyes scanned over the calendar until she finally landed on a date.

“The 15th.” Garnet said to herself. She reached for the marker on top of the calendar and marked the date. She may have been doubtful, but she would keep the date in mind. Another image of the nightmare flashed by her eyes, and she froze. While they had seemed faceless in the dream, recalling back to it allowed Garnet to recognize the person in the room. It was a fellow coworker of hers. She pressed her palm to her head, staring down at the ground with wide eyes.

“Stars…” Garnet whispered to herself. He had been there with her that night, and he was killed. She wondered, for a moment, if she could have done anything to prevent it. She raised her wrist into view, looking at it. Red had blossomed through the white wrappings, and she could see that same could be told for her shoulder and her calf, judging the by the red stain on the leg of her jeans. She wondered what could have cause the sudden bleeding. The doctor’s voice filled her head.

_You lived, and he died._

_Surviving comes with a price, a big one at that_

Her hand shook as she reached for her wrist, grabbing on to it. It pulsed painfully in response. She drew her hand back after a moment. It was slightly red and sticky. Another image of the nightmare flickered by her eyes. Garnet shook her head, and began to walk towards the bathroom, though she fell into a limp once her calf began to ache. Entering the bathroom, she turned on the lights, wincing slightly at the intensity. Looking in the mirror, Garnet pulled her tank top off and began to unwrap the gauze around her midsection.

It took a while, but eventually she had completely removed the wrappings and was greeted by the sight of her injures. The flesh surrounding the wounds were either deep shades of red or purple, and the wounds themselves were gut churning to look at. Barely scabbed over, bloodied, skin around it torn, and opened where the stiches weren’t situated, allowing her to see the muscle underneath. Garnet reminded herself that she had seen worse, but it still wasn’t pleasant to look at. She sighed, leaning over and reaching her hand over to twist the shower nozzle. The shower turned on, and pulled back. Garnet briefly caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

The bloodied corpse of the guard was standing behind her.

Garnet let out a small shout of fear, turning around to meet the body. It was gone, and she was alone in the room. Garnet’s heart pounded in her chest, and she was breathing heavily. With another shout, this time of rage, she slammed her fist into the wall with enough force to put a hole through it.

 


	4. Losing Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet visits the office for answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update because I have shit to do on Sunday. Chapter is a little longer then usual.

**Losing Control**

_21 days._

Blunt teeth tore into the strip bacon in front of them. Garnet chewed quietly, her eyes scanning across the contents of the article, occasionally scrolling downward. Her left leg bobbed anxiously while her right one rested against the chair.

_“[…] found dead at 8:00, Tuesday morning. First responders were immediately called on scene. An autopsy ruled the death a mauling [...]”_

A frustrated sigh escaped from Garnet’s plump lips. She clicked out of the article, returning to the search engine. She had checked every local news website she could think of, yet none of them provided the answers she needed. Finishing off the last bit of bacon in her hand, she reached for another, only grasping at the greasy ceramic of the plate. Dual-colored eyes drifted over to her hand, looking upon the mess of empty plates, cups, and wrappers sitting next to the laptop. Garnet exhaled heavily.

Garnet glanced down at her phone resting by her mouse. The screen remained dark, indicating no new messages. She had texted her boss multiple times throughout the four days she was home, but they still hadn’t gotten back to her yet. Garnet leaned back and stretched, popping stiff joints and only slightly aggravating her wound. Pushing her chair away from the table, she stood up and walked briskly over to her kitchen. She grabbed the first edible thing in sight; a bag of bread. Tearing open the thin plastic covering, she stuffed a slice into her mouth, leaning against on the counter.

Garnet had hoped to avoid returning to the company office, not wanting to face what was essentially the death place of her fellow coworker, or trigger another hallucination of said coworker. It crept up on her at the worst times; Garnet recalled a specific moment where she nearly caused a grease fire when the corpse had appeared in front of her while she was cooking. At this point, however, it seemed unavoidable. Her boss didn’t want to talk to her for whatever reason, and she couldn’t find anything online that answered her questions.

Her hand reached into the bag, grabbing at air. Garnet hadn’t even realized she finished the bread. She threw it to the side, deciding that she should stop overthinking it and just get it done already. She stepped back into the dining room and grabbed her phone and keys off the table, stuffing them into her pocket. Her eyes caught sight of the calendar on the wall. Garnet gazed for a moment.

Garnet shook her head and made her way out of the house.

* * *

 

The afternoon sun glared harmlessly off of Garnet’s shades, newly acquired dafter visiting her ophthalmologist. Her knuckles were white from how hard her hands gripped the steering wheel, her eyes focused on the road ahead and nothing else.

_Could you please assist?_

A blurred image of an old memory flashed by Garnet’s eyes; she blinked it away. Her hands only squeezed tighter.

_What the hell did you use your gun for, Clarke?!_

Something flickered in her peripheral vision; she dared not to turn her head. Garnet turned to the right, pulling into the lot of the building. She was careful to avoid the various traffic cones and the ‘Do Not Cross’ police tape tied to them. She noticed that there were only two patrol cars near the crime scene; no doubt that they were wrapping up the investigation. Garnet wondered for a brief moment whether she knew any of the officers that were working on the scene at the moment, but she cast that thought aside. Pulling into a space and stepping out of her car, her eyes stared at the back entrance of the building.

_I’ll talk to him._

Unnerved, Garnet made her way down the various hallways of the building, passing multiple doors until she stopped at one in particular. She lifted her hand, rapping her knuckles against the door. It was quiet.

“What?” A feminine, cross voice sounded through the wood of the door. Garnet rolled her eyes; of course she had to catch her during one of her moods. She wrapped her fingers around the doorknob and turned it, pushing open the door. The moment she entered, the bosses eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Garnet would have found it comical had it not been for the strangeness of it.

“W-What the hell are _you_ doing here?” She snapped, springing from her seat and planting her hands on her cluttered desk. Garnet was taken aback, but maintained her stoic expression.

“I was there that night.” Garnet said matter-of-factly. The boss rolled her eyes, stepping around her desk to stare up at Garnet.

“I know you were there. Now get out.” The boss pointed a bony finger towards the door, her eyes narrowing in anger. Garnet shook off her dismissal and straightened up, towering over the shorter woman more so then she already was before.

“What happened? Who brought me to the hospital?” Garnet pressed. She crossed her strong arms across her chest and looked down at the woman. Her boss pinched the bridge of her nose between two long fingers, her head tilted down slightly.

“Do I need to call security on you?” She started out evenly. Garnet exhaled heavily through her nose, her cheek twitched involuntarily.

“I am security; answer my questions.” Garnet demanded. The woman barked out a harsh laugh, glaring up at Garnet.

“Not anymore. Leave; I don’t need any more eyes on me with the press finding out about you.” She spat. Garnet raised an eyebrow.

“Publicity. You’re withholding vital information crucial to an ongoing investigation because of publicity. You do know that is illegal right? And that I am a cop?” Garnet chided.  Her fingers dug into the skin of her arm.

“The case was closed yesterday, and as far as I know, you’re on leave until you’re healed. There’s nothing you can do. I’m giving you one finally warning; leave.” Her bossed warned her, her tone slightly smug as she returned to her seat. Garnet felt rage building up inside of her, her composure beginning to unravel. Her cheek twitched again, and her fingernails dugs into her arms hard enough to draw blood.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Garnet said through gritted teeth. Her boss slammed her fist on her desk, losing what little patience she had left.

“I don’t owe you an explanation, you bitch! Get the hell out!” The woman yelled in a shrill voice. Garnet stood there, eyes wide. The insult normally wouldn’t have fazed Garnet in the slightest, but something was different this time. The rage that had been building within her had reached its boiling point.

Something snapped.

**_How dare she talk to us that way!_ **

Deathly calm at first, Garnet stood there, unnerving her boss. Then she started forward, grabbing the edges of the desk and throwing it aside. Her hand shot out to grab the woman by the collar of her blouse. Effortlessly, the woman was lifted in the air and slammed against the wall hard enough to rattle the paintings and shelves. Her teeth bared, Garnet growled deeply at the terrified woman.

“I don’t give a fuck what you owe me. Answer the question, now.” Garnet snarled at her. The woman’s legs kicked uselessly in the air, fear apparent in her brown eyes.

“I- I don’t know, I swear! The report said-“

“What report?” Garnet interrupted, her grip tightening.

“I threw it out already! The guard that wrote it said that you were there when he initially arrived, but when he returned with help you were gone!” She finished. Garnet’s eyes narrowed beneath her shades. Her other hand reached for her, closing around her neck tightly.

“I don’t believe you.” The woman’s hands grabbed at Garnet’s in a weak attempt to pry them off, tears beading at her eyes as she gasped for air. Garnet glared at her through her shades, hand still squeezing as she watched the life rapidly fade from her eyes. Just as the woman’s hands began to fall, a switch flipped in Garnet’s mind, a sudden realization of her actions washing over her. Garnet paused; face morphing from an expression of pure rage into one of shock.

_What am I doing?!_

Garnet dropped the woman, taking a step back from her. She watched as her boss scrambled backwards, hand grasping at her neck as she gasped for air. Garnet’s mouth hung open, her heart pounded in her chest, and her hands shook. Composure falling apart at the seams, Garnet could stare at her. The woman, hunched over herself with her hand grasping at her rapidly bruising throat, glanced up at her.

“Get the hell out of here.” It was a barely audible wheeze. Garnet turned on her heel, nearly running out the door.

* * *

 

Garnet leaned forward, hands pressed together and resting on her lips. Shaky eyes were glued down to the carpet. Her back burned from the uncomfortable position, but Garnet couldn’t find it in her to care.

_What did I do?_

The question ran through her mind on repeat, accompanying the multitude of flashing images of the incident. She had never lost control like that before, and she had never laid a hand on another innocent person before either. Until now.

_What’s wrong with me?_

Garnet covered her face with her hands, resting her elbows on her thighs. It wasn’t natural; the emotion she had experienced, the one she acted on, wasn’t anything human. It filled her with fear that she was even capable of feeling an emotion like that. Yet, somehow, it also _excited_ her. Her phone ringing startled her out of her thoughts. She hesitantly reached for it, sighing in relief when she saw Pearl’s contact number. Garnet answered it.

“Yes?”

“I haven’t heard from you in a while.” Straight to the point, never a good sign. Garnet leaned back on the couch, giving her back relief.

“I’ve been preoccupied, sorry.” Garnet apologized. Pearl didn’t answer at first, somewhat worrying Garnet.

“I miss seeing you.” Pearl said quietly into the receiver. Garnet relaxed a bit; the previous coldness in Pearl’s tone had melted away.

“I can come over for a little bit, if you’d like?” Garnet offered. She heard Pearl hum slightly in thought.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Pearl countered. Garnet sighed, annoyed.

“I’ve been resting for four days now; getting out and seeing you would be better than sleeping the day away again.” Garnet reasoned. Mainly, Garnet didn’t want to be stuck alone with her thoughts any longer, but she also wanted to see her closest friend again. Pearl relented.

“Alright, how does five sound?”

“Five is good. I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodbye.” The line clicked. Garnet sighed, pressing her phone into her temple, her eyes closed.

* * *

 

Garnet tugged on the sleeve of her jacket, covering the bandaging on her wrist. Pulling her keys out of the ignition and stuffing them into her pocket, Garnet stepped out of the car. She approached the door, eyes briefly glancing over to the rose bushes that aligned the house. Garnet caught sight of a box in them; she felt her cheeks grow hot from embarrassment. Before Garnet could even raise her hand to knock, the door opened, and she was greeted with the sight of her smiling friend’s face.

“Garnet, nice to finally see you!” Pearl said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Garnet smiled at her, albeit sheepishly.

“Sorry about that.” Garnet apologized. Pearl waved it off, her thin lips still pulled into a smile. Pearl stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the taller woman’s waist. Garnet returned the hug, but couldn’t help but stiffen when Pearl’s palm dug into the wound on her back. Garnet inhaled sharply and pushed the woman away, hand immediately traveling over to rest over the wound. Pearl’s face morphed into one of concern.

“It’s fine.” Garnet reassured her. Pearl didn’t look convinced. She stepped aside to let the taller woman in. Once inside, Garnet took a seat in one of the white armchairs, while Pearl disappeared behind the door to the kitchen.

“Want anything to eat?” She called back. Garnet declined despite her growling stomach, leaning back in the chair. Her eyes scanned the room and its various decorations. They caught something fairly new, drifting over to a scratching post in the corner, right next to a small bed with Lion atop it. He glowered at her, tail in the air, ears flat against his head, and his fur standing on end.

“I don’t think Lion likes me very much.” Garnet joked, noting the cat’s aggressive state. Pearl returned from the kitchen, a bottle of water in her hand.

“He doesn’t like me either. I honestly don’t know why Steven leaves him with me.” Pearl replied, setting the bottle down on the glass coffee table and taking a seat on the sofa. Garnet found that hard to believe, as the cat had noticeably relaxed once Pearl entered the room, his gaze fixated on her instead.

“How are you feeling?” Pearl asked. Garnet looked back at her, shrugging.

“I told you, I’m fine.” Garnet dismissed. Pearl didn’t look convinced.

“Steven’s asked about you the other day. He’s been worried sick.” Pearl stated, choosing to ignore Garnet’s dismissal.  Garnet only hummed in response. The air became awkward, as Pearl and Garnet sat at their seats thinking of a way to start off a conversation.

“So, how was your weekend?” Garnet asked, breaking the ice. Pearl visibly perked up at her voice. She smiled.

“It was great; Steven and I went to the museum. He was so interested in the dinosaur skeletons.” Pearl said, sitting up straight and clasping her hands together on her lap. Pearl continued to ramble on about the various contents of the museum, occasionally criticizing some aspects of it, such as an ‘obviously’ (In her mind) cracked diamond or how the guide glossed over dinosaurs being related to birds.

Garnet attempted to listen, but slowly her thoughts returned back to what happened at the office. She didn’t know how she could bring it up to Pearl, or how she could even begin to talk to her about the hallucinations and the countless nightmares that kept her from sleeping at night. Garnet didn’t want to burden Pearl with it; she already had enough to worry about.

“Garnet, are you listening?” Garnet’s eyes darted back to Pearl, who looked slightly annoyed.

“Er, you said something about dinosaurs?” Garnet said, embarrassed. Pearl rolled her eyes, but smiled a bit.

“Well, since I’m obviously boring you, let’s change the subject.” Pearl offered. Before Garnet could refuse, she spoke again. “When do you go back to work?” Garnet fidgeted, her mind once again returning to the incident.

“Oh, uh… The captain wants me back by Monday.” Garnet said. Pearl raised an eyebrow.

“And the other one?” Pearl pressed. Garnet bit the inside of her cheek. _Just tell her._

“I was… laid off; they didn’t need me anymore.” Garnet lied. Pearl eyes widened in surprise.

“What? They just lost an employee, why would they fire-“Pearl stopped, noticing that Garnet looked uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong?” Pearl asked, scooching over to the next cushion so she was closer to her.

“Forget it.” Garnet snapped. Though startled at her mood change, Pearl complied. Still, Pearl reached over, resting her hand on Garnet’s and lacing their fingers together. Garnet stared down at their interlocked hands, feeling her face grow hot.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but you shouldn’t keep it in.” Pearl said sternly. Garnet looked up from their hands to Pearl’s eyes. Her lips formed a tight line.

“I-“Garnet paused, seeing something flicker in the corner of her eyes. She glanced over; the corpse of her coworker had appeared and was standing beside Pearl. He ‘looked’ directly at her with empty sockets, his torn arms crossed against his chest, and his shredded lips pulled into a deep frown. Garnet blinked, but still he stood there next to a worried Pearl.

“What’s wrong?” It was asked by Pearl, but his lips moved in sync with hers. He tilted his head, blood leaking from his face and neck to drip down on the pristine carpet. Garnet sprung up from her seat, backing away.

“Garnet?” Pearl stood up with her, approaching the woman cautiously. The man mimicked her motions. He drug his feet across the carpet, leaving red trails and specks of dirt. Garnet backed away again, arms raised in defense, breathing heavily, her heart threatening to break free from her ribcage. Pearl’s hand reached out to grab her arm; the guard did the same.

“Garnet, what’s going on?!’ Pearl’s tone became increasingly frantic and worried. Garnet’s eyes shot down to the hands on her arm; Pearl held her bicep, the man held her wrist.

**You’ll hurt her.**

It was the man’s voice this time. As soon as they left his shredded lips, he disappeared, leaving no trace of him or the blood he leaked onto the carpet. Blood began to drip down from under her sleeve and pooled at her palm; Garnet looked down at her hand, surprised. She pulled her sleeve up.

“You’re bleeding!” Pearl’s panicked voice cut through the brief silence. Pearl tugged her sleeve down, and Garnet shrugged off the jacket. The previously white bandaging had turned red. Pearl tightened her grip on her bicep and began to drag her through the hallway and to the bathroom. She slammed open the door and flipped the light switch.  Pearl wasted no time in unwrapping the bandaging from her wrist, tugging it away. Garnet heard Pearl gag.

“That’s…” Pearl didn’t finish, her eyes glued to the bite marks. Pearl shook herself out of her daze, stepping backwards and retrieving a washcloth from a nearby cabinet. She ran it under the sink, wetting it, before kneeling down in front of the toilet and placing the cloth on Garnet’s wrist.

“Has it done this before?” Pearl asked, her voice only slightly calmer. Worried blue eyes gazed up at her. Garnet grimaced.

“I talked to my doctor about it. He said it might just be the wound reopening itself.” Garnet explained softly. Pearl narrowed her eyes.

“It shouldn’t do that though. Unless it wasn’t stitched right. Stars, is it even healing? It still looks fresh!” Pearl rambled. She pulled the washcloth away from her wrist, sighing once she saw the bleeding stopped. Setting the bloodied cloth down on the counter, she moved over to the sink and began sifting through the drawers.

“That’s all he said. He told me to call him if the bleeding became constant or heavy.” Garnet said, frowning. Pearl pulled out a roll of gauze from the drawer, moving back over to her previous spot. She began to wrap the wound.

“That is highly unprofessional; he should have examined you at least.” Pearl commented, focused on her task. Garnet shrugged.

“It was same advice every other doctor offered me. I talked to a few of them.” Garnet said. Pearl finished wrapping the bite, tying it into a knot. Her gaze slowly trailed up her arm, finally noticing her bandaged shoulder. She reached her hand out, gingerly touching the scarred-over scratch on her neck. Garnet frowned, placing her hand over Pearl’s.

“That one didn’t stitches; it’s probably going to be a permanent scar.” Garnet commented. Pearl pulled her hand away, looking back up at the darker woman.

“Garnet… Why were you panicking earlier?” Pearl asked. Garnet remained silent. “Garnet, you have to tell me what’s wrong.” Pearl pressed again. Garnet waved her off.

“It’s okay; the medication I take causes hallucinations sometimes as a side effect. It just caught me off guard.” Garnet reassured. Pearl didn’t look convinced.         

“That’s not normal.” Pearl said bluntly. Garnet shrugged, scratching at the back of her neck.

“Well, either that or I’m going crazy.” Garnet added. Pearl frowned at her, not amused.

“Garnet, you need to see someone about this; you’re probably experiencing trauma from the attack.” Pearl explained to her. Garnet scowled, looking away.

“Maybe.” Garnet sighed. Pearl shook her head, grabbing ahold of Garnet’s hand and clasping it.

“No, not maybe; definitely. There might be something wrong with you” Pearl corrected sternly. Garnet growled at her, pulling her hand away. Pearl was taken aback.

“There’s nothing wrong with me! I already told you that I’m fine!” Garnet spat, glaring at Pearl. Pearl looked away, a sad expression that appeared on her thin face made Garnet falter. She sighed, calming herself down.

“I’m sorry.” Garnet said. Pearl shook her head, standing up.

“I want to help you Garnet; I don’t like seeing you like this.” Pearl said. She turned around, facing the open door. “I’ll be in the living room.” She finished, walking out and shutting the door behind her. Garnet gripped the fabric of her jeans, looking down at her wrist, mulling over Pearl’s words. Something flickered in her peripheral vision. Garnet turned her head slowly to meet the eyeless sockets of the guard. Unfazed, Garnet turned her head back.

“Please leave me alone.” Garnet asked.

He stayed there.


	5. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guard admits the truth; Garnet doesn't believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is shorter and a bit more directionless than the others! I have been busy all week and had no time to plan for more content.

** Denial **

_14 days._

Calloused finger pressed into the scarred flesh of her shoulder. Shots of dull pain tingled down her arm, aiding in awakening her. Garnet attempted to focus on the work in front of her through the fogginess of her mind, head resting on her open palm and pencil clenched tightly between her fingers. She felt her eyes begin to droop again, and was quick to move the hand supporting her head to maneuver her fingers under her sleeve and jam  them back into the scars, jolting her awake with pain once more.

Pushing her chair away from her desk, Garnet leaned back and rubbed at her tired eyes. A yawn escaped from her lips. Running on two hours of sleep wasn’t an easy task; running on two hours of sleep and attempting to read through mountain of paperwork wasn’t easy either. Garnet reached over and grasped the cup of coffee on her desk, taking a swig out of it. She cringed; it was cold. Setting the cup back down on her desk, she scooched her chair back in and continued to read the form in front of her.

“What kind of criminal robs a grocery store?” Garnet murmured to herself, reading over the last sentence of the report. Setting the paper down in a pile to the left of her, Garnet retrieved another sheet from the right and looked it over. Something flickered above her, and she let out a long, frustrated sigh.

“What do you want this time?” Garnet asked, not bothering to look up at the corpse standing in front of her. He refused to answer, keeping his ripped lips shut. Garnet rolled her eyes.

“Haven’t you gotten your fill for today? You already paid me a visit when I was in the bathroom earlier- thanks for that, by the way; it really got things going.” Garnet said sarcastically. Still, the man remained silent, empty sockets staring down at her. Frustrated, Garnet slammed her pencil on the desk and looked up at him.

“Can you go away?!” She snapped. The man tilted his head at her. Garnet stared back, lips tight as she glowered at him through her shades.

**You only have 14 days left.**

His voice rang through the room, though his lips didn’t move. Garnet sat there and waited for him to continue.

**You haven’t got a clue, do you?**

Garnet raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” She questioned him, suspicion in her voice. The corpse held his head up straight. He stepped forward towards her desk.

**Can’t you see the signs?**

He repeated. Garnet pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing out heavily.

“What. Do. You. Mean” She growled out. He didn’t answer, only continuing to stare at her. Garnet slammed her hands on her desk in frustration.

“Can’t you just give me a straight answer already?! I’m tired of sitting here having to figure out whatever the hell you’re trying to imply!” Garnet shouted. The man’s shoulders raised and lowered, as if he was breathing out.

**You’re a werewolf.**

Garnet angered face melted into surprise. She gazed at him for what felt like hours. An awkward silence filled the air.

“Y-you’re shitting me, right? You really expect me to believe that?!” Garnet yelled, exasperated, her arms thrown out in expression. He nodded his head, sending bits of flesh and blood falling to the floor.

**Yes, I do.**

Garnet gawked at him, mouth agape, speechless. He really expected her to believe him?

**You’re still in the early stages, you still have time. The full moon will seal it.**

He finished. He stared at her, waiting for her response. Garnet leaned back in her chair slowly, hands moving upwards to cover her face and rub at it.

“Why am I talking to a figment of my imagination and why am I expecting a real answer.” Garnet muttered to herself, still rubbing at her face. “…I’m actually going crazy.” The corpse clenched his fists at his sides, stepping back from her.

**It is real.**

Garnet shook her head. Grabbing her discarded pencil, she continued to read and fill out the forms in front of her, ignoring the man completely. The corpse shook his head at her, lifting his mangled hand to his face to rub at his temple.

**I’m tired of trying to help you when you refuse to listen. Figure it out yourself for now on.**

With that, the corpse disappeared, leaving Garnet alone in the room. She lifted her head up. Garnet felt rage boil inside of her as she stared at the empty spot in front of her desk. The pencil in her hand snapped in two.

“Help?!” She snarled, standing up from her seat and slamming her hands down on her desk. “You call standing behind me and staring at me help?!” Only silence answered her, enraging Garnet even more.

“You call tormenting me for the past two weeks help?!” She continued. Silence, still. “Come back here and answer me!” Garnet screamed. A low growl ripped from her throat; she dug her nails into the wood of the desk. The door to the office slammed open, rattling the walls and startling Garnet enough to make her jump.

“Clarke! Who the fuck are you yelling at?!” The Captain’s voice boomed. Garnet whipped around, facing the angered man.

“N-No one! I was just getting frustrated at the reports, sir.” Garnet answered, her face flushing from embarrassment in a rare show of emotion. The Captain stepped towards her.

“I heard you all the way from the other side of the building. You need to knock off or I’m sending you out and docking you.” He warned, crossing his arms across his chest. He glanced toward the pile of paperwork at her desk.

“Why aren’t you done?” He demanded. Garnet rolled her eyes beneath her shades.

“I’m the only one on desk duty today. That and you keep on adding on to the pile whenever I get close to being done.” Garnet answered bluntly, gesturing around the empty office for effect. The Captain scoffed.

“Lots of incidents today; I had to send everyone out. You need to stay here because of that.” He pointed at her bandaged wrist. “Now stop yelling at paper and get back to it.” He turned on his heel and stomped away from the desk. Before exiting, he turned towards her and pointed a finger.

“Don’t make me come back in here.” He warned. He left through the doorway, making a point to slam the door on the way out. Garnet fell back into her seat, rubbing at her eyes. She glanced down at her desk; there were scratch marks left in the wood. Garnet looked down at her fingernails; blunt. She frowned and rubbed at her hands. They tingled slightly.

* * *

 

“You’re fine, it’s just a scratch. Go play.” Garnet said. She turned Steven around by his shoulder, patting him on the back as she sent him off. She leaned back against the trunk of the tree, yawning as she pushed her glasses up above her head to rub at her eyes.

“Tired?” Pearl said, walking up toward her. Garnet nodded, closing her eyes.

“Very.” She said simply. Pearl looked over at her, frowning.

“You have bags under your eyes.” She paused, pursing her lips. “You didn’t have to come with us today. You could have stayed home and rest.” Pearl said. Garnet waved her off, shaking her head.

“It’s fine.” Garnet dismissed her. She moved her shades back down. They sat there in silence, watching as Steven ran around the playground, chasing around his friend Connie. Garnet glanced over at Pearl, noticing she looked uncomfortable. She was gripping her arm tightly, her gaze fixed to the ground

“What’s wrong?” Garnet asked. Pearl’s head snapped up, wide eyes looking at her. Pearl straightened her posture.

“Oh, it’s nothing! Don’t worry about it.” She dismissed her. Garnet frowned.

“Don’t pull that on me.” She said bluntly. Pearl grimaced, looking away. With Garnet’s gaze burning into her, she finally gave in and sighed.

“Have you been feeling alright?” Pearl asked her. Garnet was taken aback. “You’ve been… off lately.” Pearl said the last part quietly. Garnet turned away from her, shrugging.

“I feel fine.” Garnet answered. “Just tired.”

“Not that, I mean-“Pearl looked frustrated.  “I mean, you haven’t exactly been yourself.”

Garnet stayed silent.

“Every time I see you, you look like you haven’t slept in days, you’re always on edge, you talk to yourself, and you’re very quick to anger.” Pearl said. Garnet stood up straight.

“You’ve only seen me twice since last week.” Garnet said.

“And you’re dismissive.” Pearl added. Garnet’s lips formed a tight line. Pearl turned to face her, eyes filled with distress.

“What are you not telling me?” Pearl said.

“I haven’t been keeping anything from you!” Garnet snapped defensively. Pearl stepped back, pointing a finger at her.

“See, there you go!” Pearl accused. Garnet growled, pushing Pearl’s hand out of her face roughly.

“Don’t point your finger at me and don’t accuse me of keeping things from you.” Garnet ordered. Pearl drew back, looking hurt.

“I’m just concerned-“

“Throwing accusations doesn’t sound like concern to me.” Garnet interrupted. She glared at Pearl through her shades. Pearl shrunk away from her. She was gripping at her arm.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized, looking away from the taller woman. Garnet’s features softened, and she let out a sigh.

“No, it’s my fault, you’re right.” Garnet admitted. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Her mind answered back with memories of her last conversation with the guard, but she pushed them away. Pearl opened her mouth, but before any words could be uttered Steven had ran up to them.

“Hey Pearl! I want to show you something!” Steven exclaimed. Before Pearl could protest, he had grabbed ahold of her wrist and was dragging her off towards the playground. Pearl shot Garnet an apologetic look; Garnet looked away. She leaned back against the tree, watching after them. She waited there, expecting the guard to make his appearance and begin chiding her. Instead, Garnet was left alone.

* * *

 

The sound of rustling cloth filled the room as Garnet shifted in her bed once more. She was panting heavily, a pained expression on her face, her hair sticking to her forehead with sweat. She uttered a whimper of terror, curling further into the fetal position as she squeezed the blankets in a white-knuckled grip. Her hand retreated from the blanket, instead finding its way on the bed sheet. Her nails drug across it, tearing into them.

Garnet’s eyes shot open, and a cry of pain ripped from her throat. Her skin felt as if it were on fire; she sat up and threw the sweat-soaked sheets off of her. The burning refuse to cease, so Garnet was quick to grab ahold of the hem of her shirt and tug it off, her pants following shortly after it. Clad in only a sports bra and boy shorts, she headed out of the room.

Garnet found her way outside, the cool night air barely doing anything to sooth her heated skin. She gripped onto the railing of the patio, panting heavily. Images of her nightmare flashed before her eyes; Garnet gritted her teeth in anguish. Slowly but surely, the heat began to go away, no longer painful, but still uncomfortable. The light of the half-moon shone down on her, and Garnet looked up.

Entranced, Garnet held her gaze with it, its light alluring her. Her breathing became calmer, the burn ebbing away, and her mind becoming clear. She blinked, and broke her gaze, shaking her head.

“What’s wrong with me?” She murmured, rubbing her forehead. She remembered the guard’s words.

“Impossible.” She sighed, standing up. It was then she realized that she was outside in only her underwear, there for anyone to see; she headed back into the house.

Sleep didn’t come back to her, no matter how many times she changed her position. Even as she began to fall asleep, the horrific nightmares would start and jolt her awake. Garnet turned over onto her back, gazing up at the ceiling with her arm over her head. Garnet reflected.

_Signs._

She thought to herself, arm dragging down her head until her palm rubbed at her temple. Garnet hadn’t seen how they had been connected, until the conversation with the guard and the interaction with Pearl. She knew something was horribly wrong with her- Garnet wasn’t stupid- but any explanation she tried to make made no sense and the guard’s was pure insanity.

**_Denial._ **

She jumped slightly, sitting up in the bed and looking around. She let out a growl and slapped her palm to her head.

“Of course” she muttered bitterly “Of course when I stop hallucinating things that aren’t there I start hearing voices that aren’t there.” She ran her fingers through her hair. Tired eyes glanced up towards the ceiling, as if the voice had come from above.

“I’m not in denial.” She argued. “Denial would mean that I had to believe it somewhat.” Garnet waited for a response, but none came. She lay back against the bed, forgoing sleep and deciding to wait until dawn arose.

_I’m not in denial_

The thought didn’t seem so reassuring.


	6. Discussions & Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet has a conversation with someone she loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter to makeup for how short the last one was!
> 
> Minor edit- changed Tuesday to Wednesday because my dumb ass just realized that the 15th never falls on a Tuesday.

**Discussions & Confessions**

_8 days._

The near silence of the house was broken by the sound of clattering cans and tearing noises. Dark, clawed hands reached for a plate situated in the back of the fridge, wrapped with tinfoil. The tinfoil was quickly discarded, and the leftover chicken was devoured within seconds. Garnet let out a growl of satisfaction, the chicken somewhat filling her seemingly empty stomach. Various food items were pulled out of the fridge, not being spared a glance before they wolfed down.

Hunger still unsatisfied, Garnet continued to rummage; nothing edible or cooked was left in the fridge. Another growl, irritated, ripped from her throat, before her eyes caught sight of a packaged steak resting on the bottom shelf. Reaching for it, she brought up to eye level and examined it. Her eyes shifted over to her stove, cluttered with pots and pans, discouraging her from even considering an attempt to cook it.

Moving to put away the meat, she halted in her movements. A powerful urge overcame her, and instead she brought the meat back up and stripped the plastic wrapping off of it. Not hesitating, Garnet tore into the raw meat. It was heavenly, tasting far better than anything she had ever cooked. Blood from the meat dribbled down her mouth and hands, staining them with red. It was gone all too quickly, in Garnet's opinion. She wiped her mouth on the back of her arm, smearing red across it.

It was then that Garnet had broken from the fog of animalistic instinct and realized that she had devoured nearly everything in her fridge and consumed something raw. Garnet gagged, but the immense satisfaction gained had not left her. Staring back down at her stained hands, an involuntary thought entered her mind; one of what it would be like for her to eat something fresher, something that she had killed with her own hands. Garnet shook her head, ridding herself of the disturbing thought. Wandering out of her kitchen, she headed for the bathroom.

Entering the bathroom, Garnet moved over to the sink and began to clean her hands of the blood of the meat. Briefly, she glanced up at herself; immediately, she stepped away. Bloodied mouth, disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes- She had discarded her shades earlier-with bags under them, skin shining with sweat caused by her own raised body temperature. Garnet could barely recognize herself.

_**Looking gorgeous today!** _

The inner voice taunted. Garnet bared her teeth.

_Shut up._

Washing her mouth and stalking off to her bedroom, Garnet kicked away the pile of clothes in her way in an attempt to dispel some of her anger. Scratching at her naked abdomen, Garnet hissed slightly when her nails cut into the skin. Pulling her hand away, she look down at the sharp nails with resentment.

_Didn't I cut them last night?_

Moving her focus from her nails to her drawer, Garnet pulled out a simple t shirt and jeans, pulling them on. The uncomfortable heat had amplified now that it was trapped in by the cloth, but Garnet was tired of walking around nearly naked. She pulled the hem of the shirt down, halting only for a moment when she could have sworn she heard the sound of her door opening. Shaking it off, she headed back to her living room.

Exiting from her hallway, Garnet stopped in her tracks, catching something in her peripheral vision. For a moment, she wondered if it was the guard, finally coming back to reprimand her. She turned her head.

"Mom?" Garnet said, surprised. Her mother, Ruby, turned around. A wide smile broke across her face.

"Garnet!' Ruby said cheerfully, holding her arms out for a hug. Garnet didn't step forward, a strange look plastered on her face

"How- How did you get in here?" Garnet asked, stepping back from the intruder.

"Spare key!" Ruby said. She furrowed her brow, glancing around the house. "When was the last time you cleaned up this place?! I swear if your mum was here she would make you get on your knees and scrub this place bottom-to-top! And look at you; have you slept at all this week?" Ruby ranted, glaring around the mess before turning her gaze to Garnet. She noticed Garnet's expression.

"Are you alright? You look kind of spooked." Ruby commented, advancing towards Garnet.

"I never had a spare key made for you." Garnet said. Her gaze trailed over to her front door and its lock; it didn't look damaged. "I didn't even hear you come in." Ruby looked offended.

"Why are you so worried about how I got into your house; aren't you happy to see me?" Ruby said, throwing her arms out. Her fiery gaze trailed down Garnet's body, fixating on her arm.

"What happened to your wrist?!" She yelled out of concern. Garnet didn't answer, squinting at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?!" Ruby felt frustrated. Garnet shook her head.

"Just trying to figure out if you're real or not." Garnet said. Ruby's face fell.

"What?" She hadn't expected that. Garnet crossed her arms, standing up straight.

"You heard me. Are you real?" Garnet pressed, stepping forward.

"I don't know?! I feel pretty real." Ruby said, exasperated. Garnet's hand shot out and grabbed her arm, poking at the flesh in a way of inspection. Ruby immediately pulled away.

"What's up with you?! You're freaking me out!" Ruby yelled, stepping away from her daughter.

"Well, I've had dead people visit me unannounced for the better part of the month, and you just showed up unannounced." Garnet said, suspicious. Ruby froze. Silence filled the room for about a minute or so, with Ruby staying frozen in place and Garnet regarding her with suspicion.

"I think I would remember dying!" Ruby blew up, throwing her hands out once again. "And what do you mean you've been seeing dead people?!" Garnet waved her off.

"Just a coworker of mine. We got mauled; I lived, he died and now he says that I'm a werewolf." Garnet explained nonchalantly. She walked to the kitchen, Ruby following closely behind her.

"And you say that like it's completely normal?!" Ruby shouted. Garnet opened her fridge, fishing in and grabbing a package of ham. She tore it open and stuffed a slice in her mouth.

"Well, it's been a part of my life for a month now, so I'm sort of disillusioned to it by now." Garnet said, her voice slightly muffled from the food. Ruby stared at her daughter, then looked at the ham, and then at her bandaged wrist. Something clicked in her mind. Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose and took in a deep breath.

"Garnet?"

"Yes mom?" Garnet replied.

"Be completely honest with me." Ruby stated. Garnet nodded.

"I've been telling you the truth the entire time." Garnet said. Ruby exhaled.

"Are you high right now?"

"What?!" Garnet whirled around, a look of surprise on her face. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well I just haven't seen you like this since-"

"That was one time years ago and I haven't touched it since!" Garnet growled, slamming the fridge door; the sound of the shelves falling came from it, but was ignored. Ruby stepped back, glancing to the side nervously.

"I'm sorry, it's just-"

"That I'm acting wrong?! Fuck I wish I knew what was wrong with me too! Nothing about me has been right for a month now, and as far as I know it'll only get worse from here!" Garnet shouted, hands gesturing wildly from frustration. Ruby stood there, listening; it inclined Garnet to continue. "I can't sleep, I can't go an hour with eating, I feel like a fucking furnace, I can't discern reality from hallucinations, I get angry all the damn time over the stupidest things, and I can't stop it!" Garnet ranted. She stopped and covered her eyes, panting heavily. Ruby stood there, speechless. The air was quiet for a moment.

"I almost choked out my boss the other day." Garnet admitted, breaking the silence.

"You what?!" Ruby shouted, surprised and horrified. Garnet tore her hand away from her face, glaring at Ruby.

"I don't even feel bad about it; I actually forgot about until just now." Garnet growled. "I'd never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it before and the first time I lay my hands on someone completely innocent, I can't even muster up regret. I _liked_ it too. It terrifies me." Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence. Garnet gritted her teeth together, furiously rubbing at her watering eyes.

Ruby's expression changed from shocked to determined. She stepped forward, taking ahold of Garnet's hand and pulling her into the living room. She guided the taller woman over to the couch, where Ruby sat them both down. They sat there in silence, neither knowing what to say.

"Start from the beginning." Ruby finally said, looking down at the floor. Garnet sighed, and began to recount.

The sun was just beginning to set when Garnet finished her retelling. Ruby had stayed silent the entire time, only interjecting with a question or a concern, which Garnet either answered cryptically or shrugged off completely. Both of them sat in silence, neither of them able to find a way to start the conversation.

"That's insane." Ruby finally said. Garnet laughed bitterly.

"Yep." She agreed, rubbing her temple with two fingers. Ruby moved a hand over to cover her mouth.

"That's-" She stopped in the middle of her sentence, prompting Garnet to look over at her. Ruby was rubbing at her eyes, a solemn expression on her face.

"I'm not good with this." Ruby added quietly. Garnet raised an eyebrow. "I feel like your mum would know what to say, know what it all means for you." Ruby continued sadly. The air turned somber.

"I don't know how to help you." Ruby finished. Garnet tilted her head over to Ruby, looking at her.

"Why did you come here?" Garnet asked, rubbing her cheek. Ruby glanced away.

"I hadn't heard from you in a while, so I was concerned" Ruby explained. Garnet frowned, leaning back on the couch, hand unconsciously rubbing at her scarred shoulder.

"Then you helped me. You made the effort, and you're the one that listened to all of this. I couldn't even talk to Pearl about it." Garnet said in an attempt to reassure her. Ruby shook her head, smirking.

"Nice to know I was your first choice." Ruby said. Before Garnet could retaliate she raised her hand and smiled. "I'm joking. I'm surprised you didn't talk to her about it." Ruby said.

"It didn't feel right to do so." Garnet muttered, resting her chin on her palm, her elbow on the arm of the couch. They fell into yet another uncomfortable silence. The room slowly darkened from the setting sun; Garnet glanced out the window near the front door, observing the colorful sky with resentment.

"8 days left." Garnet said suddenly. Ruby looked at her in surprise.

"What?" She questioned. Garnet sighed.

"I have 8 days left, I kept track; not consciously. It's like I have an internal clock doing it for me." Garnet explained. Ruby pursed her lips.

"Then calm down and enjoy them. It seems to me that the 17 days you've experienced so far were a lot worse than they could be; I mean, I'm saying that as someone who doesn't know the extent of what you are going through. The symptoms are sort of a given, but maybe if you just try to ignore them?" Ruby babbled. She noticed Garnet watching her with a weird expression. Ruby's face burned.

"I mean, obviously you've been trying to ignore them, but like try to do it in a… good way?" Ruby tried. "Agh! I don't know; I told you I wasn't good with this!" Ruby yelled, frustrated. Garnet laughed.

"No, I know what you mean. I'll try it." Garnet said, a small smile on her lips. Ruby smiled back, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Garnet let out a yawn, hand moving up to rub at her eyes.

"You should sleep." Ruby suggested, Garnet nodded, closing her eyes.

"I should, and get those 20 minutes of shuteye before I wake up screaming." Garnet replied bitterly, shifting on the couch into a more comfortable position.

"20 minutes is better than nothing." Ruby tried. "Go on, I don't mind. I'll watch T.V" Ruby urged. Garnet mumbled out a response, already feeling sleep overcome her. The world around her slowly faded into nothingness, and soon Garnet was asleep.

* * *

Garnet eyes slowly opened. She blinked away the sleep and looked around. The room had turned a dark shade of blue from the evening sky.

"Mom?" Ruby was gone. She glanced down at the coffee table; the remote hadn't been moved from its previous spot. She stilled.

_Was it real?_

She sincerely hoped it was, but at the same time if it wasn't she couldn't complain; she felt far better after the conversation. The blaring ringtone of her phone cut her thoughts short. She stood up and walked briskly to her room, where the source of the sound was. She crossed the room and grabbed the phone off her nightstand, checking the contact before answering it.

"Pearl?"

"Garnet! If you're busy, you don't have to, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor." Pearl said, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

"No, it's fine. What do you need?"

* * *

"Thank you for coming to pick me up. I honestly didn't expect the car to break down on me." Pearl said, her face a shade of pink. Garnet smiled at her.

"No problem." Garnet replied. They sat in a comfortable silence; Pearl was entertaining herself on her phone while Garnet kept focused on the road, only occasionally sparing a glance in her direction.

"What are you playing?" Garnet asked, breaking the silence. Pearl shook her head, not taking her gaze of her phone.

"Not playing; reading. It's an article about NASA" Pearl corrected. Garnet nodded her head, mouthing an 'okay'. Pearl set her phone down on her lap, looking at Garnet.

"You seem a lot better than last time." Pearl commented. Garnet shrugged.

"You've only been in the car with me for a few minutes." Garnet joked. Pearl offered a slight chuckle.

"Still, the difference is noticeable." Pearl said.

"Because I haven't freaked out yet?" Garnet said, though her tone went from jokingly to harsh. Pearl frowned and looked down at her lap.

"No, it's not that. Just trust me; I can tell." Pearl sighed. Garnet turned her head in her direction, intending to say something in return, but her words got caught in her throat. There was something about the way the moon shined on Pearl that made her appear that much more beautiful to Garnet; her features were highlighted by its light, making it seem as though her blue eyes were shining and her pale skin was glowing. Garnet's face flushed and she quickly turned her gaze back to the road.

_**~You like her~** _

The inner voice sang mockingly. Garnet gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes.

_Leave me alone._

_**If you want her that bad, then make her yours.** _

_What do you mean by 'make her'?_

_**Exactly what it sounds like.** _

_I'm not forcing her to do anything._

_**That's why you're pathetic.** _

_Fuck off._

_**If you won't force her, then tell her; make it easy on yourself and do it. No overthinking, no elaborate plans. She's happy right now and you're both alone.** _

_Strange times when a voice in your head is trying to help you with your love life._

_**Stop stalling.** _

_I'm not stalling_

_**Then just do it.** _

She spared another glance in Pearl's direction, before quickly redirecting her vision back to the road.

"Pearl." She murmured out, gripping the steering wheel tighter. Garnet could feel Pearl's eyes on her.

"Yes?" She answered. Garnet swallowed thickly, feeling herself breakout into a sweat due to her nervousness. She paused; maybe this wasn't the best idea.

_**Go on, you have her attention.** _

The inner voice urged her. Garnet's lips pulled into a frown and she tensed.

_I don't need help from a voice in my head._

_**And who convinced you to tell her?** _

The voice had a point. Garnet looked back over at Pearl, who was awaiting her response patiently.

"We've… been friends for a long time, correct?" Garnet started off. Pearl smiled and nodded her head.

"Since we were kids." Pearl reaffirmed. Garnet nodded slightly, turning her attention back to the road. She swallowed again, drumming her fingers on the wheel.

"I've… liked you for a very long time." Garnet confessed, her cheeks darkening slightly. "And I wanted to ask you out for a while. I haven't had the courage until now."

Silence.

"Will you go out with me?" Garnet reiterated nervously. She continued to stare ahead, but the temptation was too much; she looked back over at Pearl. Pearl looked surprised; her eyes widened and her mouth hanging open slightly. Garnet ripped her gaze from her and back to the road. Her face grew hot.

"N-Nevermind, forget that I-"

"Yes." Pearl interrupted. Garnet's eyes shot towards her again. "Yes, I would love to."

_**Told you so.** _

Garnet grinned at the pale woman; Pearl answered back with a smile of her own.

"Alright, where do you want to-"

"Watch the road!"

"Shit!" Garnet swore. She swerved, narrowly missing another car. The driver angrily honked at them as they drove away. The pair sat in silence for a moment; both a bit shook from the near collision.

"Let's make plans after we get to the house." Garnet suggested. Pearl broke out of her shock and began laughing, the sound heavenly to Garnet's ears.

"Agreed."

* * *

 

The pair walked along the driveway of the house, taking their time on their way to the front door. Garnet glanced down at Pearl's hand, wondering if was appropriate for her to take ahold of it. They stopped in front of the door.

"So, where do you want to go?" Garnet asked, making a decision to withdraw her hands into her jacket pockets. Pearl let out a small 'oh', excitement reflecting on her face.

"There is this movie I've wanted to see, "Art of the blade". It's advertised as a historically accurate recount of swordsmanship through the eras. I personally don't believe that the producers will get it right, but-"Pearl paused as she noticed, even with her shades covering her eyes, Garnet's completely blank expression. She blushed slightly. "How about a movie?" She restated with a short cough. Garnet smiled and nodded.

"I'm free for any showing during the week as long as it's after 5." Garnet said. Pearl nodded.

"Great, I have a day off next Wednesday, how about then?" Pearl suggested cheerfully. Garnet stiffened.

 _The 15_ _th_

She swallowed, mulling it over in her thoughts.

_It won't be bad, will it?_

_No, of course not, nothing with happen. It's just like mom said, it's insanity_

_But what if something does happen?_

_It won't. It isn't real._

Garnet stood there in silence, making a variety of facial expressions as she internally argued with herself.

_It WON'T happen._

_**Denial.** _

The inner voice chimed in. Garnet was about to retaliate when Pearl's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Garnet?" She sounded concerned, her brow furrowed. Garnet took in a deep breath and exhaled. Steeling her nerves, she smiled at Pearl.

"Ye-yeah, that's fine; Wednesday's fine." Garnet confirmed uncertainly. Moments after the words left her mouths she felt a wave of relief wash over her, but also felt dread settle in her stomach. It unnerved her. Pearl returned the smile.

"Alright, great! I can't wait." Pearl said. She stepped forward and held her arms out. They embraced; Garnet hoped Pearl wouldn't notice how fast her heart was beating. Pearl pulled away and turned, unlocking and opening her door. She shot her one last smile before she closed it, leaving Garnet outside. Garnet took in another deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She glanced down to the rose bushes, noticing the box was still tangled in them.

Reaching down, she grabbed it and pulled it out of the branches, stuffing it into her pocket and turning around. Garnet paused, looking down at her feet; Lion was sitting there, leering at her. Garnet offered an awkward smile.

"Hello Lion." She reached down to scratch his head. He hissed, fur bristling as he jumped up and swiped at her hand with a paw, leaving four thin red marks on her skin. Garnet let out a hiss of pain as she drew her hand back, cradling it against her chest. She glared down at him and let out a low growl; he responded with a hiss before turning and dashing away. Garnet looked down at her hand again. The bleeding had already stopped.

Shaking off the slight pain, Garnet returned to her car. Situated on the windowsill of the house, Lion continued to leer at her.


	7. Suspicion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet gets into a fight with another officer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this was supposed to be posted A LOT earlier but apparently Archive went down for a bit. Anyway, admittedly this chapter serves as a fill in until the next one.

** Suspicion **

_3 days._

Leaning back in the leather seating of her squad car, Garnet blankly stared out of her dashboard window. The sound of radio chatter filled the otherwise silent air, doing nothing but to aggravate Garnet’s growing headache. For three hours she had been sitting in the exact same spot, watching other denizens go about their day while she was stuck waiting for a call to come in. At first she attempted to kill time by writing reports, but she finished them quickly; waiting for any speeding cars wasn’t an option either since almost no one drove through the boardwalk.

Garnet didn’t have a single clue as to why she was sent out today rather than be stuck at the desk; the captain gave her an excuse about being shorthanded and left it at that. Bored out of her mind, Garnet fiddled around with a sandwich wrapper, rolling it into a ball and playing a one-sided game of catch with it. The wrapper fell down in between the seating after a missed catch; Garnet couldn’t be bothered to fish for it.

Slamming her head back into the headrest, Garnet shut her eyes and breathed out heavily, annoyed. The radio crackled to life.

“ _Calling for any available assistance on 16 th street; we have a 10-57: Hit and run.”_

Letting out a sigh of relief, Garnet responded to the call, shifted the car into gear, and pulled out of her spot.

By the time she arrived, it was already crowded with paramedics, officers, and onlookers. Stepping out of her car, Garnet strode over taped off area. There laid a woman, bloodied and mangled; eyes wide with shock and mouth open to take shallow intakes of air. Garnet paused in her tracks, staring down at her. An unknown sensation welled deep inside of her, making her palms sweat, her chest constrict, and her mouth dry. Her stomach growled. Clenching her fists at her side, she promptly turned around and walked away from the scene.

Garnet found a light pole to lean against, one arm moved to wrap around her stomach while her free hand covered her eyes.

_Stop it._

Garnet ordered herself. Her mind drifted back to its earlier thoughts.

_Stop it. It’s disgusting_

It was so tempting though.

_It’s wrong!_

Could morals even come into question about an action like that?

“Are you taking a smoke break? We need you back here.” A voice interrupted her thoughts. Turning her head, she spotted the much taller and muscular officer.

“Fuck off, Jasper.” Garnet growled at the woman. Jasper sneered at her, hands on her hips.

“What hell is your problem? We have a job to do.” Jasper shot back. She looked as though she had more to say, but Jasper stopped, noticing Garnet’s sickly look. An unfriendly grin split across her face.

“What? You have a weak stomach? Never seen a body before?” Jasper teased. Garnet crossed both arms across her chest, turning her gaze to the ground.

“I’ve seen worse. Leave me alone.” Garnet waved off. Jasper’s grin only became wider as she stepped forward.

“Are you sure about that?” She made a point to jab her in the cheek with a thick finger “You’re looking a little green.” Garnet smacked her hand away, gritting her teeth.

“Don’t touch me.” Garnet warned. Unfortunately, that only prompted the other cop to poke and prod at her side, further annoying Garnet.

“Does it annoy you?” Jasper teased. Garnet glared at her, catching her wrist with her hand and yanking it so Jasper fell forward in front of her.

“Act your age. What is your problem?” Garnet seethed. Jasper’s face became passive.

“Well, you’re on scene for the first time in weeks and you’re already running with your tail between your legs. You’ve gone soft.” Jasper insulted. Garnet glowered at her, letting go of the other cops hand.

“I’ve been here for ten minutes and it looks like they’ve got everything handled already. I’m obligated to wait here for further instruction.” Garnet said calmly.

“And I gave you further instruction and you told me to fuck off.” Jasper said.

“If you really needed an extra hand that badly, you wouldn’t be sitting here arguing with me.” Garnet shot back. Jasper’s lips formed a tight line. Garnet smirked.

“Got you there.” Garnet joked. Jasper shot her a look.

“You’ve been a real dick lately, you know that?” Jasper insulted her. Garnet rolled her eyes beneath her shades, crossing her arms.

“Because I’m telling the truth?” Garnet retorted. Her headache came back with a vengeance, her head pounding.

“No; you refuse to cooperate and you’re talking back.” Jasper defended. She stood up to her full height, towering over the other woman. “Something’s going on with you; you aren’t usually like this.” Jasper noted. Garnet looked over at her, her face holding mock shock.

“What? There is something going on with me? If I had a dollar for every time I heard that phrase this past month.” Garnet couldn’t help the sarcasm; she was at the end of her rope and the last thing she wanted was for someone like Jasper to criticize her behavior. Jasper bristled with anger.

“See? That’s what I mean; you’re acting like a bitch.” Jasper insulted her again. Garnet shot her a look.

“Don’t call me that; walk away.” Garnet advised. Jasper rolled her eyes at her.

“What are you going to do?” Jasper challenged. Garnet tore her gaze away from her and looked back at the ground.

“Don’t antagonize me.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Jasper repeated. Garnet squeezed her arms, her nails breaking through the skin and drawing blood. She breathed out heavily, but didn’t respond to Jasper.

_Stop it. Don’t lose control._

_“_ Please, leave me alone.” Garnet asked her, her voice strained. Jasper grinned, stepping towards her so she was only a few inches away from her face.

“Backing down already?”

_You’re better than this. Stay calm._

“No. I just think we should act our age and stop this petty arguing.” Garnet reasoned. She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. Jasper stepped closer, and Garnet bared her teeth out of instinct, letting loose a low growl.

“Right, and you-“Jasper was cut short when Garnet hands seized her by the collar, flipping their position. She was shoved against the light pole.

“What the hell did I **_j_** u ** _s_** t **_s_** a ** _y?”_** Garnet snarled at the officer. Jaspers placed her hands on Garnet’s chest, shoving her; Garnet didn’t let go.

“Get the fuck off of me!” Jasper shouted, drawing her fist back and striking Garnet across the cheek.

“You two knock it off!” a distant voice screamed. It was drowned out by the sound of ringing in Garnet’s ears. She let out loose a loud snarl; her hand moved from Jasper’s collar to her right temple, digging her nails in and dragging them across the other officers face. The sound of ripping skin and Jasper’s scream of pain filled the air. A grin split across Garnet’s face.

Multiple pairs of hands grabbed her shoulders and arms, dragging her away from the other cop. Jasper’s hand immediately shot to her face, covering the wounds.

“She- she fucking scratched me!” Jasper yelled out, drawing her hand away from her face. Copious amounts of blood leaked from the wounds, dripping down onto her uniform and the pavement. Panting, Garnet momentarily struggled against the other officers’ grips, before giving up. Realization of her actions washed over her; Garnet grimaced.

**_You did warn her…_ **

_That doesn’t give me the right to hurt her!_

**_But it makes it a lot more satisfying._ **

Still kept caged in by the other officers, Garnet could only stare back at Jasper, remorse on her features while Jasper glared at her with hatred in her eyes.

* * *

 

The tension didn’t easy at all in the room after they both recounted their stories to the captain. Garnet had made a point to empathize that Jasper was antagonizing her, but she also made sure to let him know that her attacking her was completely uncalled for and entirely her fault. Jasper’s side of the story almost entirely demonized Garnet. The captain leaned back in his leather chair, rubbing at his face with both hands.

“You are both grown ass woman.” He started. He removed his hands from his face, glaring at them both. “And you are both law enforcement officers. You are supposed to set an example to the public. Do you realize how bad this will be for the station if someone posts a video of that?”

“What, you mean her scratching me across-“Jasper fell silent once the captain’s steely gaze shot over to her, daring her to finish the sentence.

“Of you terrorizing her and you-“He shot a pointed look at Garnet. “- attacking her.” His gaze fell back towards Jasper.

“Will you press charges?” He asked her. Jasper looked surprised.

“What? Of course not; the last thing I want to do is to sit through a 17 hour court case only to get two dollars in cash and the satisfaction of her being sentenced for a few months longer than she should be.” Jasper said. The captain raised an eyebrow, not expecting her answer.

“What’s your logic behind that claim?” He asked Jasper, generally curious. Jasper waved her hand.

“They’ll probably add way more time then she deserves to her sentence because of-” Jasper made a decision to shut up, realizing that finishing her sentence might not be the best idea. The implication wasn’t lost on Garnet.

“Fuck you, seriously.” Garnet snapped. Jasper glared back at her.

“Hey! I’m one who is deciding not to take you to court over this; you should be more-“

“Both of you shut the fuck up!” The captain ordered, his face red with anger. The two women fell silent. His gaze moved from one to the other, before he breathed out heavily through his nose.

“Alright, Harrison you can go for now; come back into my office later so we can talk how much I’m docking out of your paycheck. Clarke, stay.” The captain dismissed. Jasper looked irritated at his words, but otherwise stood up from her seat, taking a moment to stretch before heading out of his office. The door slammed behind her. The captain pressed his hands together, resting the tips of his fingers on his lips.

“You technically just committed a felony. That gives me enough reason to prosecute you and force Harrison to testify.” He stated. Garnet grimaced, looking away. Her blood ran cold at the thought of being convicted.

“I’m not going to.” The captain said. Garnet looked back at him, surprise on her face.

“Sir?”

“First of all, the unofficial reason was that Harrison had it coming; I get complaints from other officers about her all the time.” He started. Garnet perked up at the reveal. “My other, professional reasons are that I want this quiet; we don’t need this publicity on us; the media will blow it all out of proportion. I’m going to suspend you without pay for a week and dock you for another 3 weeks.” Garnet breathed out a sigh of relief. “And I’m drug-testing you.”

“What?” Garnet was in disbelief. The captain waved her off, standing up from his seat.

“I have reasonable suspicion due to your erratic behaviors this past month; this incident today didn’t help your case.” He walked over to his door, opening it and beckoning Garnet to follow. “I already have everything set up for you.”

He guided her down the hallways of the station, until they stopped in front of the forensics’ department. He gestured for her to go inside.

“If you’re not using, then you’ll be suspended without pay like I said before. If you are using, then I’ll just fire you. What I’m saying is: be grateful I’m not putting you on trial.” He said nonchalantly. He turned and walked away from the dark woman. Garnet faced the door. Aggravated, she pushed it open and went inside.

Immediately, a small blonde woman scrambled towards her. She regarded her with a squint, her nose crinkling.

“Are you the one the captain wanted-“

“Yes, let’s just get it over with. Give me the cup.” Garnet interrupted. The smaller woman let out a nasally laugh.

“Oh, it’s not a urine sample! It’s a blood test. You like needles?” The smaller woman corrected. Garnet looked down at her.

“A blood test?” She repeated. The woman nodded her head. “You’re joking, right?” She shook her head, shooting Garnet a toothy grin and patting her hand on a seat behind her. Garnet sat down, and the smaller woman-Peridot, she caught the name on her ID card- Immediately went to work on sterilizing her right arm. A tourniquet was tied around her bicep.

Peridot pulled on latex gloves, before taking ahold of her arm; she instantly pulled her hand away.

“Geez, you’re hot.” Peridot remarked. A bright red blush spread across her cheeks, reaching her ears. “N-not in that way! I-I mean as in you have a very high body temperature!” Peridot quickly corrected herself, embarrassed. Garnet rolled her eyes but offered a smile towards the flustered woman. The needle was inserted into her arm without further warning. Garnet let out a hiss of pain.

Her blood was drawn; Garnet stared intensely at the needle with a feeling she couldn’t identify. The needle was withdrawn from her arm. Peridot was quick to clean up the area and untie the tourniquet.

“Alright, well the results should take a week or so to be processed. Now go, we have crimes to solve in here.” Peridot dismissed her. Garnet nodded, taking a moment to thank her before standing up from her seat. Leaving the forensics’ department, Garnet rubbed at her arm and let out a loud groan.

_Fuck my life._

* * *

 

Arriving at her doorstep, Garnet slammed the door open and entered the house. It was relatively quiet, except for the noise of a TV that she left on in her bedroom. Garnet dropped her bag next to the couch and took a seat on the dark red cushions. Her hand slammed against the coffee table, a burst of anger over taking her.

She thought she had it under control; she had went 5 days without incident; 5 days she had kept herself as calm and collected at she used to be before the night she woke up in the hospital. Then of course today had happened, and she had narrowly avoided getting charged with assault. Her hand lifted up to her face, examining her nails. There was still blood underneath them.

“What the fuck is happening to me?” Garnet murmured to herself quietly.

**_You know exactly what you are. Just accept it._ **

The inner voice chimed in. Garnet growled, glaring up at the ceiling.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

**_It’s pretty much impossible for me to do that. I’m a part of you._ **

“Bullshit.”

**_Whatever helps you sleep at night. Oh, wait…_ **

Garnet let out a frustrated growl, gearing up for a retort when her phone buzzed against her thigh. Reaching in her pocket, she pulled out the device and looked at its screen.

_Pearl- Do you want to go out for coffee later?_ _J_

Garnet read the message with a smile on her face. She began to type out a response when the voice interjected.

**_She’s so blissfully unaware. You’ll both get a rude awakening soon enough._ **

“Leave her out of this!” Garnet snapped, sending the message before glaring at the ceiling once more; an attempt to direct her anger to something physical.

**_A dark movie theatre; alone in the back, no one looking…_ **

**_“_** Shut up.”

**_Imagine all the people there; all of them unaware of what’s among them. Including your ~girlfriend~_ **

“For stars sake, shut up.”

**_The sun will go down and the full moon will rise. How many people do you think you’ll kill after you change?_ **

Garnet stayed silent, her eyes at the ground instead of the ceiling. She clenched her fists at her sides.

**_Will she be one of them?_ **

The inner voice left her with that question, refusing to say anything more on the matter. Garnet sucked in a shaky breath. Her phone vibrated again; Garnet spared a glance over to it.

_Pearl- Great! I’ll see you at 6:00!_

She wouldn’t hurt her… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full moon next chapter ;)


	8. Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet's 25 days of normalcy have ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You never realize how hard transformation sequences are to write until you've sat at a computer for 5 hours on 3 separate days staring at a blank document, and when you finally write it out, it's endless revising because it's too vague, too descriptive, or doesn't make sense.

** Out of Time **

****

The last three days of Garnet’s “normalcy’ was filled with anxiousness and despair. The voice had not once taunted her since the night of her suspension, nor had her anger spiked out of her control again. She was left by herself with nothing but her thoughts to entertain her.

Today was no exception.

From the moment Garnet had awoken, she had been on edge; jumping at shadows and the slightest noises. She had almost resolved to hiding out in her room until later that night, but she was extremely restless as well. That’s how she found herself pacing her hallways over and over again.

Garnet’s mind clouded with thoughts; thoughts of her date, of her suspension, and the full moon.

“Pull it together.” She growled at herself, taking fistfuls of her hair and tugging them slightly. She needed to find a way to calm down; Garnet was feeling lightheaded from breathing so quickly. It didn’t help that her heart was pounding in her chest as well. She stopped her pacing for a moment, finding herself in her dining room.

Taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, Garnet’s eyes roamed around the room. They fell onto the calendar on the wall, staring down at the circled date. Her mind was racing at a mile a minute, but it halted to a stop at the sight of the date. Slowly, Garnet approached the calendar.

_15 th_

Her stomach twisted. Her hand shot towards the calendar, ripping it off the wall, tearing a good portion of the paper in the process. Turning on her heel, Garnet stomped to her bathroom. She threw the door open and planted herself at the sink, turning on the faucet and splashing cold water on her face.

“Pull it together” Garnet whispered to herself again through gritted teeth. She rubbed at her face with one hand, the other keeping her braced against the sink. A sudden tickle in her throat made Garnet fall into a coughing fit; her fist moved to cover her mouth. Pulling her hand away from her mouth at the end of the fit, she glanced at it. A drop of blood stained the webbing in between her thumb and index finger. Panic overtaking her, Garnet turned the faucet back on and began spitting into the sink.

The water stayed clear in the basin, so she gathered water from the faucet in her hand and sipped it, spitting it out afterwards. Nothing. Wondering if she was just seeing things, Garnet turned the faucet back off, sparing another glance at her hand; it was clean. Garnet slammed a fist on the counter, hanging her head low as she let out a groan of frustration.

5:30 couldn’t come quick enough.

The setting sun shone through Garnet’s bedroom window, casting the room in an orange glow. Garnet stood in front of her full-body mirror, buttoning up her shirt with shaky hands. They struggled to maneuver the button into its hole, trembling far too much. With an aggravated sigh, Garnet held one hand still with the other, painstakingly buttoning up the rest of the shirt with one hand. She gazed at the mirror with a blank expression.

_I’m not sure about this._

The date with Pearl itself was already nerve-wracking, but the possibility of what might happen tonight… Garnet was _afraid_ ; terrified, even. She couldn’t live with herself if anyone came into harm’s way because of her, especially if it was Pearl.

“If I feel off,” She murmured to herself. “Then I’ll leave the theatre.” It was a weak resolve; everything was screaming at her not to go in the first place. Garnet wouldn’t settle for not going either; what if everything turned out to just be in her head?  Shaking off the intruding thoughts, Garnet walked out of her bedroom and to her living room, heading out of the front door.

* * *

 

Garnet stood there at Pearl’s doorstep, fidgeting slightly. Steeling her nerves, she took a deep breath and knocked twice.  The door opened only moments after, Pearl’s smiling face greeting her.

“There you are! I was worried.” Garnet noted that Pearl almost as nervous as she was; she was shifting her weight from foot to foot, and she refused to make eye contact.

“I hit traffic on the way here; car crash.” Garnet explained. Pearl nodded and stepped forward.

“I-I’m sorry. I was rude; how are you?” Pearl stammered. Garnet smiled at her.

“I’m alright. You?” Garnet asked in return. Pearl muttered a small ‘good’, clasping her hands together and looking down at her feet. The air slightly awkward, Garnet held her hand out.

“Shall we go?” Garnet said, grinning at Pearl. Pearl took her hand with a small smile on her lips, but pulled it away almost immediately. Pearl looked at her with her eyebrows furrowed; she stood on her tiptoes and her thin hand moved to rest at Garnet’s forehead.

“Stars, you’re burning up!” Pearl exclaimed, eyes wide. Garnet shuffled nervously.

“Oh.” It was all Garnet could manage, grimacing at Pearl’s worried behavior. Pearl took ahold of her hand again and pulled her inside the house.

“I’m taking your temperature.” Pearl stated, a determined look on her face. Garnet dug her feet into the carpet in an attempt to keep Pearl from dragging her to the bathroom; she had a surprisingly strong grip.

“No, that’s- that’s not, er, necessary. I’m fine.” Garnet stuttered. She tugged her hand out of Pearl’s grip, but still Pearl headed to her bathroom.

“I’ll be right back!” Pearl called over her shoulder. Garnet shoved her hands in her pocket, frowning as she waited for Pearl to come back. Her eyes moved about the room; they landed on Lion, who was in the corner. He was pressed as far in the corner as he could be, his fur stood on end, his eyes were dilated, and his tail stuck straight out, leveling with his back. Curious, Garnet moved towards him; he immediately sprang from his spot and ran off somewhere away from her. Before Garnet could register his behavior, Pearl returned with a thermometer in hand.

“Open.” Pearl ordered. Garnet rolled her eyes, but opened her mouth. Pearl stuck the thermometer in. The air was silent, with Pearl staring at Garnet with her arms crossed, and Garnet standing still with the thermometer sticking out of her mouth. A beep sounded, her Pearl pulled it out of her mouth. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull.

“112?!” Pearl shouted. Her eyes shot toward Garnet’s covered ones. “Th-That’s…How are you even alive?!”

“It’s broken.” Garnet growled, grabbing it from her hand and throwing it over her shoulder. Pearl shook her head, still in disbelief. Garnet let out a long sigh.

“Pearl, if I really had a fever that high.” Garnet started, gesturing with one hand while the other stayed in her pocket. “Do you think I would be standing here talking to you?” Pearl stood still for a moment, pondering her words.

“Right, it doesn’t make sense. I’m sorry. You’re still burning up, though.” Pearl offered, cheeks flushing red from embarrassment. Garnet waved her off.

“It’s fine, I feel fine. We should go, the showing will start soon.” Garnet said quickly; Pearl slowly nodded. Together, they left the house.

* * *

 

The car ride was mostly silent; both Pearl and Garnet attempted to make small talk, but soon ran out of topics. The sun had set almost completely, and the full moon began to peak out from the horizon. Garnet felt sick. Her stomach twisted at random, and she broke out into a sweat not soon after they got in the car. The AC was turned up all the way to combat her growing body temperature, and she had long since discarded her jacket.

She caught Pearl’s shivering form in the corner of her eyes. Garnet reached behind her seat and fetched her jacket, offering it to Pearl.

“May I ask why you have the AC up all the way?” Pearl asked her, taking the jacket from Garnet’s hands and pulling it on.

“I’m just hot.” Garnet said simply, keeping her eyes focused on the road. Her stomach twisted again, and she felt a sharp pain shoot through her abdomen. Garnet gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white.

“You’re sick.” Pearl stated simply, eyes focused on Garnet’s face.

“I’m not.” Garnet said through gritted teeth. Pearl let out a sigh.

“If you’re feeling sick, you should have canceled. We could have rescheduled.” Pearl said. Garnet shook her head.

“Nope, I wouldn’t have done that to you.” Garnet shot her a pained grin. Pearl rolled her eyes, sporting a small smile.

“You’re stubborn.” Pearl commented. Garnet let out a small chuckle.

“Yeah.” It was a barely audible agreement; Garnet’s smiled faded from her face. She flexed her hands, before clamping them back on the wheel. Another sharp pain shot through Garnet’s abdomen.

_Stubborn._

* * *

 

The next 30 minutes were mostly a blur to Garnet; they arrived at the theatre, visited the snack bar, and took their seats at their designated spots. Her mind felt foggy, and the heat had reached to a near boiling point. Pearl had seemed nearly oblivious to this; Garnet couldn’t help but be reminded of the inner voice’s words.

Garnet wiped away the sweat that accumulated on her brow. She shot a glance towards Pearl, who was in the process of turning off her phone as prompted by the movie. Her eyes moved to the floor, and her hand clenched the armrest. Garnet took in a deep breath.

_Calm down, nothing’s happened yet._

The mental encouragement did little to help her.

Her hand moved to swipe at her brow again- it came back damp- before it began fiddling with the button of her flannel. Garnet’s heart pounded in her chest, her mind was still muddled, and the heat was nearly unbearable at this point. She spared another glance over to Pearl; completely absorbed in the movie’s opening scene, her eyes holding fascination in them and her mouth ajar. Pearl felt her gaze on her and glanced over, shooting her a quick smile that Garnet returned halfheartedly.

Garnet shifted in her seat, letting out a deep breath as she attempted to relax and focus on the movie. She felt a tickle in her throat, letting out a short cough that made her chest ache. Her hand moved to it, applying pressure in an attempt to lessen the pain. Breathing becoming shallower, Garnet felt light-headed.

Her lungs seized, throwing Garnet into a coughing fit loud enough to get several moviegoers to shush her and for Pearl to look over at her with concern. She hunched forward in her seat, palm of her hand covering her mouth in a desperate attempt to muffle the noise. Garnet felt something wet spatter on her palm. Leaning back in her seat and gasping for air, she lifted her hand in front of her eyes to investigate the substance.

Blood.

Garnet froze, staring at her hand in horror. A sharp pain shot through her stomach; she hunched forward again with a grunt, one arm wrapped around her midsection while her other hand gripped at the arm of her chair. The pain spread through her stomach, Garnet could feel bile rise up her throat; she moved her other hand to press a fist against her mouth.

“Garnet? Garnet what’s wrong?” Pearl whispered, leaning forward from her chair and moving a hand over to rest on top of Garnet’s. Garnet tilted her head up, panting, not facing Pearl.

“B-Bathroom” came her strained reply. Garnet stood up from her seat on shaky legs and stumbled her way to the aisle, ignoring Pearl’s call for her.

Pushing the exit door open, Garnet staggered through the hallway, occasionally bumping into people or posters. Reaching the restroom, Garnet made her way across the tiled flooring and entered a stall. She fell to her knees, hands gripping the sides of the toilet for support as she began to heave. Each gag and retch sent shots of pain down her stomach and ribs. Eventually, a hand left the toilet and wrapped around her belly, fingers digging into her sides.

Another gag finally sent the contents of her stomach spilling free, providing little relief to her upset stomach. Falling backwards, Garnet laid against the door of the stall, attempting to muster up enough energy to stand. Her mouth filled with a metallic tasting liquid; Garnet spat it to the floor. Upon seeing the blood, Garnet’s hand flew to her mouth, feeling around it. She gagged again, spitting to the floor once more. Her ears picked up the sound of clattering.

Garnet placed both hands against the stall, using them to stand up on her unsteady legs. She pushed open the stall door and stumbled over to the sink, planting herself at it.  Her gums ached, her eyes burned, and the tips of her fingers felt they were about to burst. Moving her hand up to her face, she peered at them with blurry eyes. A cracking sound filled the bathroom; her nails broke down the middle and sharp, bloody claws pushed through. She stared at them with horror.

“What the fu- Gah!” Lurching forward, one hand moved to grip at the side of the sink, the other clinging onto the faucet. Garnet coughed, spitting blood and teeth into the sink. The horrible aching in her gums had not ceased. A pained groan escaped from Garnet’s lips. A sharp pain down her spine made her involuntarily jerk forward, her shades flinging off her nose from the motion. Her bloodied hand moved to scrub at her burning eyes.

Slowly, Garnet drew her hand away from her eyes, resting it back on the side of the sink and smearing a bloody handprint on the once pristine ceramic. Her gaze drifted slowly upwards until she met eyes with her reflection. Her mismatched eyes had turned a piercing golden color; her opened, gory mouth revealed sharp fangs that had replaced the previous set of teeth. Garnet could barely register the change before her spine cracked, tearing a cry of pain from her throat and causing to grip the sink with such intensity that it made her veins pop out against the skin. Her skin prickled painfully; her clawed hands shot to her shirt and began to unbutton it, whimpering.

The claws kept her from undoing the buttons correctly, so Garnet resolved to tearing the shirt open instead, sending buttons falling to the floor. She caught sight of jet black fur pushing through her skin. Emitting noises of panic and pain, Garnet’s golden eyes shot to the exit. She **_had_** to get out, she couldn’t be here. Bracing herself against the sink, and then against the wall, Garnet made her way to the exit. Her spine shifted, tearing a cry from her lips and making Garnet fall to her hands and knees. She arched her back in an attempt to dispel some of the pain.

This couldn’t be happening _this couldn’t be_ _happening_ ; it **_had_** to be a dream. One that Garnet couldn’t wake up from. The sound of ripping cloth, bones snapping, and muscles stretching filled the air. Her muscles flexed involuntarily, expanding and ripping through her shirt and pants; her palms began to stretch out and the pads of her fingers thickened. Garnet let out a scream.

_Get **up!**_

Garnet attempted to lift herself once more; her feet stretching into paws and tearing through her shoes killed any hope she had of accomplishing that task.  One hand slapped against the tiles, scratching the ceramic as Garnet struggled to grasp onto something for support. Her other hand dug into her side, creating claw marks that healed almost as instantly as they were made. Garnet glared down at the hand on the floor, looking at the bandaging.

With an animalistic snarl, her other hand shot out and tore the bandaging- it hadn’t ripped along with her shirt- from her wrist. An intense pain started in her tailbone; letting out a sob of agony, Garnet slapped a hand over it. Tears streamed down from her eyes as it elongated into a tail, stretching the skin to the point where it split open. Garnet’s jaw unhinged, and her face began to morph into a muzzle. A large paw gripped at the bottom of her jaw as it extended, whining as it changed. Garnet’s consciousness began to fade; black spots dotted her diminishing vision.

“Hello? Is there anybody in here?”

Golden eyes shot towards the entrance. Someone indistinguishable walked in. Their scent and the sound of their accelerated heartbeat hit Garnet first; everything turned red. Falling back on her haunches, Garnet’s vision darkened to a dim light.

Her powerful legs launched her towards the person; Garnet’s mind going blank and vision cutting out.

She lost control.


	9. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter's quality seems somewhat subpar; this one was quite hard to write and I really wasn't feeling this one for whatever reason :/
> 
> Dream/memory sequences were intentionally written to be quite confusing; one part being to help readers relate to Garnet's confusion, the other part being I was on several different medications while writing it :P.

** Awakening **

****

Darkness. Pain. Exhaustion. Hunger. Fear

Why was it so hard to wake up?

No, she was awake, she is in the house.

No, she's not. She is running, but from what?

Running. Fear. She wasn't afraid; who was afraid?

It wasn't her, but it was. She was a beast, but it wasn't her. She wasn't in control, but she was.

Running, more running. Directionless, but the beast- Garnet- knew where she was running.

Why couldn't she wake up?

A dream, a nightmare, a reality. Was she still alive? It didn't feel like it.

She stopped running, she was searching instead. She couldn't see them but she could hear them, smell them, as if she was there but had a cloth over her eyes.

They were there, walking, talking, laughing, happiness,  _fear._

They were afraid. She was too.

Running, more running. Pouncing, roaring, tearing, screaming, tasting,  _satisfaction_.

No, she wasn't satisfied; she was sick, afraid, and guilty.

Why was she guilty? Why was she afraid? Was she asleep?

She wasn't asleep; it felt too real for it to be a dream. It wasn't a dream; it was a nightmare. No, it was a reality.

Running, more senseless running. The bea- _Garnet_  stopped.

* * *

 

Garnet was awake.

Pain, excruciating pain was the first thing her mind registered. It felt as if she had fractured joints, pulled muscles, and broken bones. The agony wouldn't stop. Her stomach ached, and she rolled over onto her palms and emptied its contents. Garnet couldn't see it- her eyes wouldn't open- but she could smell it. It was a vile, metallic scent that filled her nose and refused to leave long after she inhaled. She heaved again, but nothing came out.

Her arms shook, and she fell over to her side, crying out as her ribs made contact with the hard ground. Garnet attempted to open her eyes; everything was a blurry smear of bright colors, so she closed them. She tried to sit up again, but her body refused to budge. Garnet could only lie there, attempting to catch the breath that she didn't know she needed. Unable to move or see, she listened.

She could hear birds chirping, the wind blowing, and trees rustling. Sounds that were usually ambient to her sounded like sirens blaring into her ears. She moved her hands to cover them, attempting to relieve herself of the painful noise. It didn't work; it still sounded as if a stereo was shrieking right behind her.

Garnet tried to move again. She rolled onto her back and used her aching arms to push herself up. Now sitting, she opened her eyes. Her vision cleared, but she immediately shut her eyes again with a whimper. Everything was too bright. Garnet scrubbed her eyes with her hands, smearing something wet on them in the process. She halted her actions, slowly lifting her hands away from her eyes. She opened them hesitantly.

Blood. Her hands were covered in blood. Garnet trembled at the sight of it, and licked her lips instinctively. She tasted something metallic; it didn't take her long to figure out what it was. Her eyes trailed down her blood-coated hands and arms, and down to her body. She was naked and caked with dirt, blood, and patches of fur. She brushed her hands down to her stomach and felt the fur. It was attached to her, which made her eyes widen in astonishment.

Garnet stood up, her legs wobbling. She gripped her naked shoulders and squinted. Everything was far too bright, too loud, and too pungent. Her mind was muddled from the pain, exhaustion, and the sensory overload; the only thing Garnet could focus on was getting home. She began to stumble her way through the trees and brush.

* * *

 

Walking, voices, disgust, worry, screams, blaring horns; all blurred together. Garnet was walking; she didn't know where she was walking. She didn't stop, even as her feet started to ache and as she was shouted at by faceless people. Garnet refused to stop.

Until she did.

Garnet was facing a door, familiar to her, but she was still hesitant to go in. It _smelled_ off. She didn't know what came over her, but she put her hand on the door and leaned on it, inhaling deeply. The scent was of two people, one male and one female, fairly recent as well; Garnet was confused on how she knew this, but somehow she did. She couldn't hear anything on the other side, so Garnet reached for the knob and opened it.

It creaked loudly in her ears, and she growled, animalistic, and covered them. She stepped in cautiously, her eyes searching for the intruders that she smelled. She was greeted with nothing but a dark room, which helped soothe her eyes. This was home… right?

Garnet moved forward, but her aching legs finally gave out on her and she fell to her knees, and then back onto her rear. She stared blankly ahead, the fog of her mind not allowing a complex thought to surface. Letting loose a pained groan, Garnet rubbed her face with her hand, running her nails down on the skin. She winced when they cut through.

Garnet looked at her bloodied hand. Long, sharp claws had replaced her fingernails. Garnet remembered the blood she had tasted in her mouth, and she hesitantly reached a finger in to feel her teeth. They were sharp, razor sharp and elongated; she cut her fingers just barely pressing down on the tips. She felt something else, lodged between her teeth. She pinched her fingers around it, and pulled.

It was a string of muscle. She stared at it with wide eyes and let it fall from her fingers. She was shaking her head. She couldn't handle this, not now, not later, not _ever_. She wanted this dream to end already. She headed for the bathroom; she would shower, and then go to bed.

The hot shower did little to soothe Garnet's aching body. If anything, it seemed to make her hurt even more. Garnet attempted to ignore this in favor for focusing on scrubbing all the blood and dirt off of her body. She took the time to shave off the fur that had grown on her arms, shoulders, legs, upper back, stomach; basically any part she could reach.

Garnet exited the shower. She took a moment to examine herself in the mirror as she dried her hair with a towel. She looked normal, for the most part. Garnet reached a hand up and pulled down the corner of her lip, exposing the sharpened teeth and large canines. Moving her hand away, she tried smiling with only her lips; nothing noticeable. She tried smiling with her teeth next for comparison; it looked anything but friendly.

_Guess I can’t fully smile anymore._

It was a somewhat humorous outlook on the change, but Garnet didn’t know any other way to react to it. It was surreal. She shook her head and pulled away from the mirror. She needed sleep; her mind was too much of a train wreck to even fully process any of this. Garnet headed into the bedroom. Wasting no time, she climbed under the covers, and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

 

Pain. Exhaustion. Hunger. Fear

The woman couldn’t have even hoped to run away before Garnet was upon her.

Her chest was ripped into. A hand had weakly slapped against her shoulder; Garnet’s massive paw clamped around it and ripped the arm clean off. Teeth closed around her throat next. Garnet left the woman.

She was running again. Everything was clear this time. She was passing hallways, doors, houses, street lamps, and trees. She could hear screaming and blaring horns.

Fear. Who was afraid? Garnet wasn't; she was excited. She felt free, powerful, fast, and hungry.

She was still hungry; so she ran again. She passed more houses and trees, until she was only passing trees.

She was in a park, she saw the fences and the plagues; she could smell the grass, trees, and the people there.

She stopped running. She sniffed the air again. There was a man, not too far from her, at least 50 meters away. Her powerful legs took her there in no time.

He was walking, talking into a phone, saying hello to the receiver, laughing. He was happy, and then he saw her.

He was afraid, she could smell it. She liked it. She pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. He screamed. She liked it.

She tore into his shoulder with her teeth, tearing away a bloody strip of flesh. He screamed some more. She used her paws to tear into his stomach and tear off his arm when he tried to push her off. Garnet devoured him while he screamed bloody murder. She liked it.

Another swipe of her paw tore off a section of his face. Biting and pulling his leg separated it from his body. He didn't scream anymore. He was dead.

Garnet liked it.

* * *

 

No, she didn’t.

Garnet woke abruptly, flipping over onto her back and sitting up quickly. She breathed out heavily, one hand tangling into her hair while the other gripped at the blanket covers. Widened eyes stared down at the cloth. Memories quickly surfaced, no longer held back by disorientation and exhaustion.

_The theatre… the moon… Pearl!_

Garnet practically launched herself out of her bed, sending the covers across the room. As she rushed down her hallway, she racked her brain for an image of the woman’s face, but came up with nothing. Frantically, she searched around for her car keys; Garnet soon came to the realization that she had come home with nothing on her.

“Fuck it, I’m running.” Garnet growled to herself.  She threw the door open and ran out.

If bright lights had bothered her before, it was practically torture now. The sun was far too bright, almost blinding to Garnet. Her eyes took in every bit of light, detail, and motion of the world around her. It didn’t help how loud everything was too; she could still hear that couple conversing about their date night, even after she passed them 5 minutes ago. A splitting headache was beginning to form, and her still aching legs screamed in protest of the running; Garnet willfully ignored this in favor for focusing on the task at hand.

The sun was just beginning to set when she arrived at her doorstep. Garnet pounded on the door; her sensitive ears picked up the sound of a quickened heartbeat and bare feet hitting the wooden floor. It swung open, revealing the panicked face of Pearl. Before Garnet could get a word out, Pearl spoke.

“Garnet!” She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms arounds Garnet’s neck and -Stars, had she always stunk of vanilla and nail polish?! - catching her off guard. “You’re alright!”

“I’m... alright?” Garnet repeated back with confusion. Pearl’s grip tightened, before she pulled away and gazed at her with relieved eyes.

“I-I know you weren’t feeling well, and after you left there were people outside screaming, and then they shut the movie off and started evacuating the theatre. I was terrified that you were caught in the middle of it.” Pearl explained, her voice trailing off slightly at the end as she looked away.

**_That’s an interesting way to put it._ **

The voice interjected. Garnet grimaced.

“I was afraid too. I thought that I-that you were hurt” Garnet answered back, quickly correcting herself. Pearl didn’t seem to notice the slip.

_I thought I killed you._

Garnet swallowed heavily. Pearl was alright, but the woman and the man…

Garnet felt sick.

“This might be somewhat inappropriate to ask at the moment.” Pearl let out a nervous laugh as she clasped her hands together in front of her. “Do you want to do a, er, redo of the date? We could go somewhere else; the movie theatre might be out of commission for a while.” She let out another nervous laugh. Garnet didn’t answer

“I-I mean I’m not forcing you! It’s just that there were some complications, and I don’t think we should remember our first date that way.” Pearl stuttered, her eyes glancing at anywhere but Garnet. Garnet still kept silent, lost in her thoughts.

“Are you okay? You look somewhat… pale.” Pearl asked. She made a move to place her hand on her shoulder. Garnet jerked away from the gesture.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Garnet said stiffly. She turned on her heel and began to walk away from the house.

“Wait, where are you going? Was it something I said?” Pearl called after her. Garnet could hear her beginning to walk towards her. Garnet shot her a look over her shoulder, making Pearl falter in her pursuit. Garnet wanted to say something to reassure her, but instead she chose to turn back and walk away from the house, leaving Pearl behind.

* * *

 

_You killed them._

It ran through Garnet’s head on repeat as she returned home. As she faced her red door, more thoughts entered her mind.

_You’re pushing her away._

_You’re doing nothing to stop it._

_Who are you really?_

_What will you become?_

_Why don’t you feel remorse?_

It didn’t help that night has fallen, there were no particular scents, and her neighborhood was, oddly enough, dead silent. Her thoughts were the only thing that kept her attention. She pushed her door open and stepped inside.

**Hi!**

Garnet jumped, staring forward at the intruders in front of her. She instantly recognized them.

**Miss us?**

This came from the woman standing next to the man. She couldn’t be any older than 16, and she had a sickening sweet smile on her face. Garnet couldn’t answer.

**You alright? You’re looking somewhat pale.**

The male mocked her, same false smile plastered on what remained of his face.

“I-“

**Do you even regret it?**

The sweet façade dropped, the woman wore an angry expression while man had more of a solemn one.

“O-of course I do! I’m not a sick fuck that enjoys killing others!” Garnet argued, throwing her arms out in expression. The man rolled his eyes and the woman scoffed.

**You’re a werewolf.**

It was said simply, but it hit Garnet hard. She clamped up, looking down at her feet and clenching her fists at her side.

**Why didn’t you listen to your friend when he told you that exact same thing weeks ago?**

Said the man. Garnet glanced up briefly.

“You know him.” It was said blankly, her face remaining impassive.

**Of course we do, we’re all in the same league of ‘People killed by Garnet.’**

A frown involuntarily tugged at Garnet’s lips.

“I didn’t kill the guard.” Garnet said. She received another eyeroll from both of them.

**Whatever makes you feel better.**

Garnet cringed, looking away yet again. There was no way she could have, he was already dead when she was attacked.

**You know I was coming home from a job interview last night, right?**

The man said after a moment of silence.

**It was my dream job, and I was hired right on the spot. I called my fiancé to tell him about it. He was so happy for me, and for the fact that I would have a good paying job to support us and the family we were making plans to start. You took that from me.**

He stepped forward towards her, even with the missing leg. Garnet shrunk away from him, still refusing to make eye contact.

**Do you really think I'll be your last causality? I'm the first of many. The bodies will keep on piling as long as you are alive. The worst part is, from what I've seen, is that you refuse to address it; you write it off as a dream or as insanity. It is real, though. I am dead, my ex-fiancé will mourn for me and the life we could have had, as will I. All because of you; you're a _monster._**

Tears filled Garnet’s eyes, but refused to shed. She began to tremble, still rooted to her spot. The woman stepped forward as well, staring down the werewolf.

**I’m not going to lie to you and say I could have turned my life around and made something good out of it if I lived. Maybe I could have had a chance, though. Sincerely, thank you.**

With that, the two ghosts disappeared.

Garnet finally looked up, staring at the empty space in the room. She blinked, releasing the tears that were previously threatening to spill. With a shaky sob, Garnet fell back against the door and slid down it. A hand moved up and covered her eyes.

_I’m sorry. I’m so sorry._

Garnet couldn’t even tell if she meant it.


	10. Suspect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short filler chapter. I didn't have much to time this week to write and revise this chapter.

** Suspect **

Garnet blankly stared down at the desk in front of her, fingers wrapping against the wood and lips forming a tight line.

“Please repeat that.” Garnet prompted. The captain let out a groan as he rubbed his temple.

“There was a mauling at the local theatre; 1 confirmed dead, 3 injured.” The captain said. Garnet nodded.

“While we ruled it an animal mauling at first, one of the blood samples that we tested didn’t match any of the victims, or any animal.” He continued, Garnet let out a steady breath. A hand moved back to rub at her neck.

“In fact, it matched nothing our databases had until yesterday, when forensics processed your blood test. It positively matched with the sample taken from the theatre” He leaned back in his chair. Garnet looked up at him with her uncovered eyes, attempting to keep her face as passive as possible.

“Here’s the kicker; the result from the test doesn’t match the blood drawn from you when you first joined the force. In fact, it doesn’t match anything human or animal either.” The captain said. He let out a sigh, pressing his hands together and leaning his elbows on the desk. “The good news; you’re clean. The bad news; you are linked to the crime, and since you came in here uninjured-“

“I’m a suspect.” She interrupted bluntly. The captain let out another sigh and ran his fingers through his thinning hair

“Look, I don’t think you did it. It was an animal mauling; all eyewitness accounts confirm that. The chief himself wants you under investigation, but to be honest I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. The sample only matches you and you don’t match _anything_ else. We’ve never seen anything like it.” He said. Garnet rubbed her face.

“I have nothing to say.” Garnet murmured. The captain stood up from his chair, pushing it in.

“You’re still working until we figure this shit out. Get out of here.” He dismissed her. Garnet stood up, not sparing a second glance at the man as she turned to the door. She did, however, pause.

“There was someone else mauled at Dewey Park.” She muttered. The captain raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, what about it?” He questioned her. Garnet stood still; she shook her head.

“I want to know his name.” Garnet said. The captain waved her off.

“Jerry Smith. Now get out” He dismissed her again.

“The other one.” Garnet pressed. The captain slammed his hand on his desk.

“For the love of- Veronica! Get the fuck out!” Garnet thanked him and left. Once outside the room, she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her heart pounded in her chest

_I’m fucked._

The scent of citrus perfume filled her nose, masking the rest of the overwhelming smells in the station. Garnet hit her head back against the wall she was leaning on.

“Go away Jasper.” She growled out. She didn’t want to deal with her.

“How the hell did you know I was here?” Jasper snapped back as she rounded the corner. Garnet didn’t look at her.

“Future vision. Leave me alone.” Garnet replied, voice taking on a calm tone again. Jasper stepped up to her.

“Where are those stupid glasses you always wear?” Jasper asked her. Garnet shuffled away from the other woman.

“Lost ‘em.” Garnet answered simply, she started to walk away from the larger woman. Jasper followed her.

“Like my face? Doc said that the scratches would probably scar over.” Jasper said. Garnet ignored her. “Enjoy your vacation? You got to sit on your ass all day while I still had to work my ass off.” Garnet still ignored her.

“Everyone saying that you’re still talking to yourself-“

“I know what you are doing and it’s not going to work. Get away from me.” Garnet said, baring her teeth instinctively. She quickly snapped her mouth closed once realizing her mistake, covering the fangs.

“I could have charged you.” Jasper said. Garnet frowned and turned to face Jasper, who was grinning at her.

“You are saying that like I owe you something.” Garnet said. Jasper’s grin stretched wider. Garnet frowned even more “I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.” Jasper insisted. “Not for the charges, though.” Garnet raised an eyebrow. Jasper’s grin receded into a smirk as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out a phone; Garnet’s phone, to be exact.

“Where did you-“

“It was from evidence, a lot of your shit’s there; this was only thing I could grab without being seen.’ Jasper explained. Garnet stared blankly at her.

“You stole from evidence… and your motivation is-“

“So you owe me something.” Jasper interrupted, throwing the phone at Garnet. Garnet caught it. “I don’t know what yet, but keep that in mind.” With that, Jasper turned on her heel and walked away.

**_That can’t be good._ **

The voice chimed in. Garnet found herself agreeing. She looked down at the phone, toying with it. Turning it on, she immediately winced at the notifications shown.

_(13) Missed calls-Pearl_

_[Pearl- Did I do something wrong?_

_[Pearl]-Why aren’t you answering me?_

_[Pearl] Garnet, please._

There were even more messages to view after that, but Garnet turned off her phone with a frown. She had been calling her house too. Garnet couldn’t find it in herself to answer, however. The calls stopped after the 3rd day.

Garnet knew she shouldn’t be ignoring Pearl, but she couldn’t bring herself to face or even talk to her. It didn’t feel right, knowing what she could have done to her and what she could potentially do her.  What would Pearl even think if she found out? Her mind decided to entertain her with a scenario of Pearl screaming at her to get away, looking at her with the same hatred and disgust the spirits have as she moved away from her. Garnet grimaced.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her out of thoughts. Garnet pulled it out and checked the lock screen.

_[Pearl]- I’m coming over tonight. I’m tired of you avoiding me._

Garnet pulled up the messenger app and typed out a reply.

_[Garnet]- I’m sorry._

The reply was nearly instantaneous.

_[Pearl]- Why?_

_[Garnet]- I can’t explain._

_[Pearl]- You can tell me anything; it’s better than just ignoring me._

_[Garnet]- I know._

_[Pearl]- I’m coming over tonight. We’ll talk then._

Garnet frowned, thumb hovering over the keyboard as she tried to think of an excuse. She chose to shut the phone off instead. Sometimes, Garnet wished Pearl wasn’t so stubborn.

* * *

 

After she got home from work, Garnet spent most of her time straightening up the house. She swept up the broken glass from a lamp that was thrown at her by the woman, cleaned the disaster of the kitchen, and cleared of the dining room table from mess of paper that cluttered it.  When she finished, Garnet went into the kitchen and opened the fridge, intending to find something to make just in case Pearl stayed for dinner. It was almost completely empty; Garnet frowned as she tried to remember the last time she went grocery shopping.

_When was the last time I ate?_

She hadn’t felt hungry since the day she woke up in the forest; Garnet wondered if it was the lack of an appetite from knowing what she last ate, or if it was something else. Her ears picked up the sound of a car pulling into her driveway; Garnet mentally prepared herself as she walked to her door.

She waited a few seconds after the initial knock before opening the door. She met the gaze of Pearl, whose face was unnervingly passive.

“Come in.” Garnet muttered, not even bothering with a greeting. She stepped away from the door and allowed Pearl to enter. Pearl immediately faced her.

“What’s going on?” Straight to the point. Garnet figured that’s what Pearl would do. A sigh escaped her thick lips as she shut the door.

“I went back to work today.” Garnet said. She knew it wasn’t the answer she wanted, but at least it gave her sometime to think. Pearl raised a thin eyebrow.

“You were on leave?” Pearl asked. Garnet shook her head.

“Suspension; it ended today.” Garnet corrected. Pearl’s eyes widened.

“Y-you were suspended? How did that happen?!” Pearl sputtered. Garnet frowned.

“I attacked another officer.” Garnet answered simply.

“Out of self-defense?” Pearl tried. Garnet looked to her and smirked.

“Nope.” Pearl shuffled nervously. Garnet’s sensitive ears picked up the sound of her heartbeat spiking.

“Why did you attack them?” Pearl asked. Garnet strode away from her, heading towards the couch.

“They were antagonizing me and I lost control.” Garnet said. Pearl let out a breath of relief.

“Oh, I was under the impression you did it out of malice.” Pearl laughed. Garnet frowned; deciding to leave out the part where she mutilated the officer out of cruelty. She sat down and motioned for Pearl to do the same. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two, both women staying quiet as they tried to figure out what to say.

“Why did you leave?” Pearl asked finally. Her wide blue eyes met Garnet’s mismatched ones. She breathed in.

“You’re asking a lot of questions.” Garnet murmured. Pearl gritted her teeth, eyes narrowing.

“That’s because you won’t tell me anything anymore!” Pearl raised her voice.

“You’re not entitled to know everything that goes on in my life.” Garnet answered evenly. Pearl scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

“I know that! Excuse me if I think you getting suspended for _assault_ Is something that should at least be mentioned!” Pearl shot back. She put her head in her hands.

“Why did you leave? Why are you ignoring me? Why are you… different?” Pearl’s voice trailed off. Garnet stayed silent

“I didn’t come here to be ignored again.” Pearl said irritably. She paused for a moment. She visibly calmed down and placed a hand over Garnet’s. “Are you mad at me?”

“No.”

“Is it something I did?”

“No.”

“Are you-“Garnet pulled her hand away from Pearl, standing up and walking to the front of the room. Her hands tangled into her afro.

_Just tell her._

_I can’t._

_She’ll understand._

_I can barely understand it; how can I expect her to?_

_Would it be better to tell her now, or let her find out later?_

Garnet’s thoughts halted to a stop; she pulled her hands from her hair and crossed her arms.

“I’m sorry.” Garnet murmured.

“For what?” Pearl asked, standing from the cushions and walking to the dark woman cautiously. Garnet whirled around to meet her gaze. She breathed in.

“I’m sorry... but I’m not ready to tell you what’s wrong. I need to figure things out first for myself.” Garnet finished. Pearl gazed at her for what seemed like hours, her face remaining impassive. Finally, she gave her a quick nod.

“I understand. That’s all you had to say.” Pearl said. Garnet breathed out a sigh of relief.

“It has nothing to do with you, if that helps; it has to do with me.” Garnet offered. Pearl gave her an unconvincing smile.

“Right, of course.” Pearl began to move away, but Garnet took hold of her hand, stopping her.

“I’d love to redo the date, if you’re still up for it.” She said, feeling nervousness creeping up on her.

“I am. Let’s set up over text; I have to go pick up Steven for the night.” Pearl said. She shot her another fake smile, gently tugging her hand away as she walked to the door. The sound of a quiet ‘goodbye’ and the door opening and clicking shut filled the air; Garnet stared at the spot Pearl was just standing in. A small burst of rage overtook her, and she let out a shout as she swung at a nearby cabinet, hitting a picture frame on top of it and breaking the glass.

Breathing out heavily, Garnet glared at the photo on the ground; her glare immediately softened once she realized the picture she broke was the one of her and Pearl at their high school graduation. Bending down, she began to pick up the pieces; one of the glass shards sliced into her hand.

She hissed, reeling her hand back and cradling it close to her. Garnet looked down at the cut; deep, 3 inches long and at least 2cm wide. It was bleeding profusely. The pain, however, seemed to stop suddenly. She watched, in a mix of horror and astonishment, as the cut mended itself before her eyes. Strings of muscle threaded themselves back together and skin attached itself in a crisscross pattern, closing the wound entirely. Garnet, thoroughly horrified, raised her shaking hand and wiped away the blood that had gathered. Not a single blemish or indication of the wound was in site. It had healed.

Curiosity began to overcome her horror; Garnet picked up another glass shard. Her eyes glanced back and forth from the shard to her hand. Chewing her bottom lip, she cut the skin again; the same process repeated, though it was near instantaneous this time. Falling back onto her rear, she stared at her hand with wide eyes, flexing it and turning it back and forth.

“Okay, I’m not going to lie… that’s kind of cool.” Garnet murmured to herself. She began to pick up the shards- more cautiously this time- and gathered the photo in her hand. She spared another glance at the photo. Both Garnet and Pearl were in their graduation robes, side-hugging each other and giving what looked like an uncomfortable grin to the camera. If she remembered correctly, they were forced into those poses by her mothers, who wanted ‘at least one cute photo of them’, in Ruby’s words.

Her lips tugged into a frown. Garnet wished she could go back to that day; before she was bitten, before she had killed two innocent people, and before she began to slowly ruin her and Pearl’s relationship. Her hand rubbed her face.

_Would it be better to tell her now, or let her find out later?_

 


	11. Arguments & Reveals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I have been busy with testing for the past two weeks and I've had no time to write.

**Arguments & Reveals**

__

“No, I don't know why you’re mad at me.” Garnet said bluntly, staring hard at Pearl’s angry face. One foot was in the door, keeping Pearl from closing it all the way. Pearl let out a scoff, rolling her eyes and Garnet clenched her jaw, feeling her anger spike considerably.

“I have to go make Steven's dinner.” Pearl dismissed her, the third time since Garnet had arrived at her doorstep. Garnet’s cheek twitched rapidly. Her fist clenched tightly enough to the point where her nails dug into the skin.

**_That’s it!_ **

Garnet slammed the door open with her fist, knocking Pearl down as she barged in. Shutting the door behind her and locking it, Garnet glared down at the slightly-panicked woman.

“How about you stop ignoring me and talk to me.” It was an order, not a question. Pearl’s expression morphed into anger again.

“You’re such a hypocrite.” Pearl seethed. Garnet took a step towards her; Pearl immediately scooted back. A part of Garnet felt pleased at the reaction, but it sent a twang through her heart and made guilt wash through her being. Garnet unclenched her hands and moved one up to rub at her face, taking in a deep breath as she tried to calm herself.

“Please, just talk to me.” Garnet started, voice slightly strained. Garnet moved her hand from her face and held it out to Pearl “Just help me understand so I can fix it.” Pearl stared at her hand, gingerly taking it and allowing herself to be pulled up. Pearl rubbed her arm, where the door had hit it, and her glare returned.

“Do I really have to reiterate myself to you?! I am mad because you refuse to talk to me anymore, and when I finally give up on trying to understand, you come to my house and do this!” Pearl shouted, stomping over to her front door and unlocking it. She threw it open, showing off the imprint of Garnet’s fist in the wood. A small blush crept on Garnet’s cheeks, and she averted eye contact with the angry woman.

“I'm sorry-”

“I don't want to hear ‘I'm sorry’ anymore! I just want to understand!” Pearl interrupted, voice shrill from yelling.

“Understand what?!” Garnet sputtered, throwing her arms out in expression.

“Why you're like this!” Pearl returned. Garnet immediately became defensive.

“Like what?!” Garnet snapped, taking a step forward to Pearl. Pearl stood her ground.

“Like this!” Pearl gestured to Garnet. “Violent and reclusive and dismissive and… horrid.” Her voice trailed off at the end as she listed the traits.

“Horrid.” Garnet spat, glaring at Pearl. The pale woman glared right back at her.

“Yes, horrid! Why are you acting like this? This is not the person I grew up with!” Pearl shouted at Garnet, taking a step forward towards her as well. Something about the way Pearl had approached her rubbed Garnet the wrong way, but rather than resorting to violence like her instincts screamed at her, Garnet withdrew instead. Her hand rubbed at her neck nervously.

“Talk to me.” It was meant to mock Garnet’s earlier words. Garnet withdrew further from the enraged woman.

“I-”

“Why are you guys fighting?!” At that moment Steven decided to poke his head out from the hallway, glancing at the two women worriedly. Pearl’s glared faltered as she looked back at Steven.

“Oh, no Steven, w-we’re not fighting,” she turned towards him and clasped her hands together, putting on a false smile. “We’re having an, erm, ‘Adult Discussion’” Pearl lied. Steven looked unconvinced.

“I'm not going to fall for that again.” Steven pouted. Pearl began to sputter out another excuse, but Garnet decided to interject at that moment.

“Steven,” she regarded him with a genuine smile. “I appreciate that you are concerned with Pearl and I, but we need to have some privacy.” Garnet explained, placing a hand on Pearl’s shoulder. She took note on much the other tensed up at the touch. Pearl nodded furiously.

“Indeed! We need to just talk about some things. I promise we will stop yelling.” Pearl assured Steven. He let out a hum of approval, nodding and disappearing behind the wall. Pearl waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps before she shrugged Garnet’s hand off and turned back to face her.

“Well?!” She harshly whispered. Garnet stared at down at the ground, lips forming a tight line. With a huff, Pearl continued.

“You've been like this for a month now, and it happened out of nowhere! Ever since you returned from the hos-” Pearl clamped her mouth shut, her eyes trailing down to Garnet’s arm and waist, and then down to her calf. Gears seemed to be turning in her head. “When you returned from the hospital…” Pearl murmured, mostly to herself.

“What are you getting at?” Garnet asked, crossing her arms and still refusing to maintain eye contact. She wished she had her shades with her.

“You were mauled, correct? What animal was it?” Pearl questioned her, her earlier anger seemingly gone. Garnet gave her a strange look. She thought about her answer for a moment.

“It was a canine, I think.” Garnet said. It was technically true. Her hand instinctively grasped at her wrist, rubbing it. Pearl noticed the movement, staring down at Garnet’s hands.

“You were bitten.” Pearl muttered to herself, rubbing her chin in thought. Garnet gritted her teeth.

“What are you getting at?” She repeated. She was beginning to feel irritated.

“Are you sick?” Pearl asked her suddenly. Garnet perked up, finally looking her in the eyes. Her face held a silent question. “Feral animals can carry many diseases, some of them… lethal” Pearl elaborated. Her face held a hint of worry. Garnet bit the inside of her cheek. Saying that she was sick would be a good cover for her for the meantime, and it could help to explain some of her behaviors to Pearl without elaborating.

_But are you really going to lie to her again?_

_How hard is it to say ‘I'm a werewolf’?!_

_Pearl will still love you, even if-_

“Yes, I’m sick.” Garnet admitted. She mentally kicked herself for digging herself into an even deeper pit of lies. Pearl bit her lip.

“Wh-what?” Pearl obviously hadn’t been expecting her response. Garnet wondered why she believed her. She came to the conclusion that maybe she was so desperate for answers that she accepted the first explanation she received.

“It… comes up every now and then, like at the theatre. It… it’s hard to control, to predict, to handle....” Garnet explained, trailing off. Her face had contorted into a distressed expression. Pearl noticed the change and stepped forward, taking ahold of her hand; her earlier animosity seemingly had faded.

“What is it?” Pearl asked Garnet, concern and curiosity on her pale features.

“Something entirely different. I don't know if I can be helped.” Garnet muttered bitterly. Pearl squeezed her hand.

“Don't say that.”

“It's true.” Garnet said. Pearl frowned deeply, looking away from Garnet.

“I don't like this.” Pearl admitted. Garnet didn't say anything, prompting her to continue. “We’ve never been at each other’s throats like this before.” Pearl chewed on her bottom lip. Garnet nodded in agreement and grabbed ahold of Pearl’s other hand, looking her directly in the eyes.

“I'm sorry for what I've been doing to you. I will try to change-” Pearl began shaking her head, stopping Garnet’s apology.

“I don't want you to change; I just want you to be Garnet again.” Garnet stayed silent; her expression became sad. Pearl shook her head again and pulled her into an embrace, resting her chin on Garnet's broad shoulder. After a few moments, Pearl pulled away from her shoulder and planted a kiss on her cheek. Garnet tensed up in response, cheeks flushing. She raised her hands up and rested them on Pearl’s back.

“I do too.”

* * *

 

A strained, animalistic snarl that changed into a whimper ripped from Garnet’s throat. She tossed around on her bed, newly clawed hands groping at her sheets and shredding them into fine strips. Her mouth fell open into a pant that quickly became gasps for air as her hand moved up to her own throat, grabbing it and squeezing tightly. Claws dug into the soft flesh, drawing blood.

This continued for several minutes, until finally Garnet’s eyes shot open and she began desperately gasping for air. She sat up, wondering why it was so hard to breathe until she realized her own hand was around her throat. She removed her hand; the wounds from her claws quickly closed themselves. Garnet stared ahead at the wall, panting heavily. Slowly, she removed her shredded covers and planted her feet on the floor; her legs nearly collapsed from under her. She shuffled to the bathroom.

Garnet flicked the light switch on, eyes quickly refocusing to take in as much light as possible, much to her disapproval. Still half-asleep, Garnet realized that she couldn't quite close her mouth, and her eyes were burning painfully, though not from the light. Her fangs had elongated prominently and were stained with red, and her eyes had changed into a golden color. Garnet tried blinking several times, hoping that they would go back to normal hazel and blue; no luck.

Spitting out a glob of blood into the sink, Garnet pushed herself off the counter and exited into the hallway. Her hand grabbed her jacket, previously slung over her armchair, and pulled it on over her shirt. Zipping it up, she pushed open her front door and walked out into the night.

Garnet didn't know where she was walking, or how long she had been walking; she couldn't stop her legs as they carried her to an unknown destination. The light of the waning gibbous shone down on her, making her skin tingle oddly and sweat despite the cold. Staring down at the ground, Garnet watched as the pavement beneath her feet turned into grass. Passing by the remains of ‘Do Not Cross’ police tape; Garnet took a seat in the grass.

The investigation had concluded only a few days ago; all evidence had been gathered and the department was pressured on allowing the park to reopen. All evidence of the crime had been cleaned up, but Garnet could still smell the stench of the man’s blood as if it were fresh. Dimly-glowing eyes trailed over the areas where the grass had been crushed, the only remaining evidence that a body had once lied there. Her hand rubbed at her throat.

The man and the woman had visited her in her sleep, sorrow long gone and instead replaced by anger. She could barely get a word out before the man had attacked her and began to choke her with his one hand. The woman had forced Garnet’s legs down onto the bed, keeping her from thrashing. At first, Garnet had struggled, but eventually she stopped; Garnet thought she deserved it. However, as her vision began to dim, a switch flipped in her mind, and she could feel the changes come on as she fought with renewal. Her last memory of the dream was her lunging at the man's throat.

Garnet gripped blades of grass and tore them from the ground, the loud ripping noises making her cringe.

_I can’t go on like this._

The thought broke through the deafening silence of her mind.

**You're selfish.**

Garnet didn’t respond to the man- Jerry- as he appeared in front of her. She kept her gaze down at the grass.

**Always thinking of yourself, of how things with affect you.**

He added. The woman, Veronica, appeared beside him. Garnet instinctively raised her hand to her throat, protecting it.

**You aren't even concerned about your friend’s wellbeing, are you? You're just afraid of what she will think of you!**

Veronica yelled. Garnet kept her mouth shut as well as she could with her fangs in the way. She knew what they were doing and she wasn't going to fall for it.

**What? No words?**

The ghost sneered, stepping forward towards Garnet. Garnet bristled up at the approaching corpse, baring her teeth as let loose a snarl. Veronica rolled her eyes.

**I wonder how long it will be before you lose sight of yourself entirely.**

Jerry mused aloud. Garnet glanced up at him, confused.

“Lose sight of myself?” Garnet took note on how her voice was huskier than usual.

**You don't realize how much you love your own humanity until it’s gone.**

Jerry said in response. Garnet frowned, moving her hand away from her neck to examine her claws.

“I’m still partially human.” Garnet muttered to herself.

**Are you?**

He was giving a pointed look at her. Garnet suddenly became aware of her still-elongated fangs and burning eyes.

“It doesn't matter my appearance-”

**But what about what makes you human? Your emotions, your ability to feel regret, to feel love-**

“You don't believe me when I say I’m sorry.” Garnet growled, her hand moving to rub at her neck again.

**Sorry is for when you break someone's toy on accident, not when you murder and eat them.**

Veronica chimed in. Garnet winced.

**Every full moon it’ll get worse. It’ll get worse and worse until you are a monster and nothing else.**

Jerry said. The words made Garnet's blood run cold and her heartrate pick up.

“Then how can I stop it?!" She yelled, golden eyes wide and face etched with panic.Veronica scoffed and rolled her eyes.

**Like we’d tell you.**

Garnet shot a hate-filled glare her way. A low growl emitted from her throat. The woman put on an expression of mock fear.

**Lycanthropy isn’t something easily cured.**

Jerry said. Garnet fell silent, anger dissipating as she thought to herself. She tore at the grass again.

“You're implying that it could be cured.”

**Why are you telling her?! Let her suffer, she deserves it!**

Veronica shouted at the other corpse. Jerry glared at her with his one eye.

**Her finding them will benefit us as much as her dying would.**

“What the hell are you two going on about?” Garnet sprang up from her seat in the grass, her gaze moving back and forth from between the two corpses. The corpses looked back at her.

**You'll have to find the one that bit you; your maker.**

The man elaborated. Garnet rolled her eyes.

“Impossible.” Garnet scoffed.

**Beach city doesn't have a large population and the smell of another werewolf is distinct.**

“I don't even know if they live here and it’s not like I can remember their face, much less anything else about them.” Garnet argued.

**Not my problem. You have two options: find your maker and kill them, or lose yourself to your inner beast.**

Garnet gritted her teeth together, looking away. Her clawed hand rubbed at the scar on her neck.

“Let's say that I find the person that bit me; would I even be ‘cured’?” Garnet questioned the man.

**How about you find out for yourself?**

The woman snapped at her. Garnet shot another glare her way, before looking back at Jerry for info.

 **You heard her; find out for yourself. We’re done here**.

With that said, the pair of corpses disappeared. Garnet stared ahead at the grass, her eyes slowly returning to their mismatched coloring and her fangs receding. Garnet shoved her clawed hands in her pockets and turned around, walking away from the park and back to the street. Garnet stared down at the pavement as she strode home, eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

_How the hell am I going to find the werewolf that bit me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the last few chapters have seemed somewhat tame; it will pick up soon, I promise!


	12. Searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet tries searching at the old lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long and early chapter to make up for the delay for last week's chapter!

** Searching **

“You can’t get them back.” The captain said sternly, not even sparing a glance at Garnet. Garnet ground her teeth together.

“I can't afford another prescription-”

“Not my problem. You can't get anything back from evidence until we conclude the investigation on you.” He interrupted.

“You said it yourself that you didn't believe I did it.” Garnet said, glaring at the man.

“Doesn't matter what I think; the investigation is still in progress so you can't get them back.” The captain replied. Silently, he pointed to the door.

“Can I at least get my car keys; I've nearly been late five-”

“Get the hell out, Clarke.” The captain disregarded her. Garnet let out a snarl as she turned and stalked out of the room, completely missing the look of surprise from the captain. She barely even managed to close the door before a large hand slammed on the wall beside her, making Garnet jump a bit.

“Sounds like you need another favor.” Jasper said, grinning widely. Garnet shot her a look.

“I don't.” Pushing her way past the taller woman, Garnet made her way down the hallway of the station. She repressed a groan of frustration when she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

“You still owe me.” Jasper called at her. Garnet slapped a hand to her forehead.

“You stole my phone from evidence. That only constitutes you a few dollars to get something from the vending machine” She shot back over her shoulder.

“And what about not charging you? What does that get me?” Jasper asked.

“My eternal gratitude.” Garnet replied sarcastically.

“That’s not good enough.” Jasper said bluntly. Garnet stopped, taking in a deep breath to calm the anger that was welling inside her.

“Jasper, I don’t need any favors at the moment. I’ll find a way to pay you back soon. Now leave me alone.” Garnet breathed out. Jasper grinned at her as she crossed her muscular arms.

“Well, since you mentioned it, I do need something from the vending-”

“Oh for stars-!” Garnet cut herself off, breathing out heavily through her nose as she fished through her pockets, pulling out three singles. She slapped them into Jasper’s waiting hand and whipped around, stalking away from the amused woman. Garnet moved through the hallways until she found herself at the forensic department. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the dimmed room.

Searching around the room, Garnet took note of its strange emptiness; only Peridot and a few others were in here.

“Peridot.” The woman perked up, peering over at her. Garnet took a step closer to the woman, but cringed slightly as her scent wafted towards her.

“Stars, you stink.” Garnet murmured, instinctively moving a hand up to cover her nose. Peridot looked taken aback.

“What?!” Peridot brought her shirt up to her nose, taking a whiff. “I smell fine, you clod!” Peridot yelled out. She visibly calmed down.

“Forget that. Are you here for another blood test?” Peridot asked the taller woman. “I must admit; we’ve never seen anything quite as…unique as your-“

“No, I’m not. I need info on an old case.” Garnet interrupted. Peridot pursed her lips.

“Which one?”

“A mauling at the Marlin and Co; it’s next to the factory outside the city.” Garnet explained. Peridot scoffed.

“What about it? Nothing was found there besides a body. It was picked clean.” Peridot dismissed her, wandering away from Garnet and to a computer.

“It was picked clean.” Garnet repeated back to Peridot, disbelief on her features.

“Not a single hair or drop of blood found that didn’t belong to the victim.” Peridot confirmed. Garnet frowned, a hand coming up to rub at her chin.

“Are you done wasting my time? We actually have work to do in here.” Peridot asked, her nose crinkling as she moved to push-up her glasses. Garnet’s lips tugged into an even deeper frown as she came to a realization.

“I’m assuming it was the same for the theatre.” Garnet said. Peridot glanced back at her.

“Nothing out of the ordinary aside from your blood.” Peridot stated, turning back to the computer.

“No torn clothing, teeth, or fur-“

“Stars, is this an interrogation?! I said there was nothing out of the ordinary!” Peridot yelled out in frustration. A few other scientists in the room glanced in their direction. Garnet didn’t say anything. She took in a deep breath; Garnet put her hands up.

“Alright, I get it; nothing out of the ordinary. I’ll take my leave.” Garnet turned around, leaving the room. She continued to walk through the station until she found herself at the exit. Once outside, she let out a yell of rage and punched the wall, breaking the concrete. A crunching noise sounded; Garnet let out another yell, this time one of pain. She brought her hand close to her body, cradling it. The ripped skin slowly began to thread itself together, but her knuckles still ached horribly. Garnet gritted her teeth, sucking in sharp breaths.

**_Nice job, dumbass_ **

* * *

 

Sometime after work, Garnet found herself at the Marlin and Co lot. Just being in the vicinity of the lot tied her stomach into knots and made her wrist burn and itch. Walking up to the locked gate, she wasted no time climbing it and jumping down to the other side, landing on her feet. Garnet winced as her hand throbbed in protest of the actions. She could hear the sound of footsteps a little ways away from her.

“Hey!” A voice called out. Garnet turned around, seeing a large woman in the distance with a distinctive birthmark on her cheek.

“Sharky?” Garnet said. Sharky’s face remained impassive, but Garnet could see the corner of her lip quirk up at the nickname.

“You're not supposed to be here.” She said, stopping and crossing her arms. Garnet shook her head before flashing her badge to the tall woman.

“Official business.”

“You’re not allowed here.” Sharky threw back, Garnet raised an eyebrow.

“Is that so? Why?” Garnet questioned the taller woman.

“You choked out our old boss.” Sharky said. Garnet stilled, memories resurfacing. She quickly snapped out of it before she could get lost in them.

“Old boss?”

“She resigned a little while ago; kind of suddenly too. Maybe a day or two after you attacked her.” Sharky explained. Garnet raised an eyebrow.

“That’s odd.” Garnet remarked. She wondered if there was any correlation with her resignation and the incident between them. “Who runs the place now?”

“Holly.” Sharky spat out the word with disdain. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but she started shaking her head, as if snapping herself out of a trance. “You're not supposed to be here. Leave.” Sharky said sternly.

“I said its official business. Besides, I only need to go back there.” Garnet jerked a thumb over her shoulder to the wooded area.

“You’re not even supposed to be in the immediate area of this place. Seriously, dude. I have to throw you out.” Sharky pressed. Garnet’s eye twitched

_Keep calm._

“I’m guessing Holly has you on edge? You’re usually a bit more lenient on the rules.” The words spilled from Garnet’s mouth before she could process them. They obviously had an effect on Sharky, her hard gaze had softened.

“She rides all of our asses. The media’s been on us since that murder. Doesn’t help that a body was found not too far from here two-.” Sharky clamped up, as if she weren’t supposed to reveal that piece of information. Garnet raised an eyebrow.

“A body?” That could be a clue. Garnet eyed the nervous woman.

“Uh- you know what? I changed my mind; you can go about your business now.” Sharky quickly dismissed. Garnet narrowed her eyes.

“Has this been investigated?” She couldn’t recall reading over any reports of another murder. Sharky offered her a nervous grin and gestured her towards the woods.

“You can-“

“Has. This. Been. Reported?” Garnet enunciated every word with more anger than the last. Sharky had broken out into a nervous sweat, and Garnet could hear her heart rate pick up.

“No-“

“So it’s still out there?” Garnet’s voice had a bit of hopefulness to it. She hoped Sharky wouldn’t pick up on the tone.

“Yes.” Sharky looked dejected. “Look, it’s not like I didn’t want to report-“

“Where is it?” Garnet cut her off swiftly. Sharky shrugged, looking off to the side.

“I don’t know.  It’s somewhere out there.” Sharky pointed a finger to the treeline. Garnet frowned as she turned her gaze towards the tree.

“Am I going to get in trouble for-“

“No; whoever made the decision to not have you report it will. I’ll be back.” Garnet turned away from the taller woman, not sparing a second glance as she started off to the woods. Garnet stopped right before the treeline, eyes scanning the wooded area.

_Shoot it!_

Sharp teeth ground together as Garnet shut the memory out of her mind. Her fingers flexed involuntarily at her sides. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth.  It was impossible to pick up the scent of anything other than the smog from the nearby factory. Garnet’s only other option was to enter the woods and look around there. Stepping through the trees and brush; Garnet kept her eyes on the ground, searching for any tracks or blood splatters that may have been missed during the previous investigation. The burning in her wrist ebbed away as she walked further into the woods and further from the company lot.

Stepping over a fallen log, Garnet bent down and examined a track in the dirt; the print was far too small to be a werewolf’s paw. With a huff, Garnet stood back up and looked from left to right.

“Left.” Garnet murmured to herself, setting off in that direction.

The sun was slowly beginning to set, and the night would be dark as ever with the absence of the moon. Garnet glanced at her injured hand, and on a hunch, unwrapped the bandaging around it. The skin around the knuckles was healed, but bruised, and her knuckles still felt very broken. Stopping in her tracks, Garnet gingerly ran a hand across her knuckles, biting her lip at the dull throb.

“Why isn't it healing?” Garnet murmured to herself. She half expected some sort of answer from the inner voice, or the ghosts that had been haunting her, but none came. She pressed a thumb down on a knuckle, hissing slightly at the sharp pain.

“Fuck, why did I do that? Focus.” She didn’t have much daylight left, and though her vision was heavily improved, Garnet would rather not be stumbling around in the night. Her legs took her further into the woods; she occasionally sniffed the air to see if she could catch the smell of rotting flesh, but the smog still overpowered most of the scents. Her ears picked up nothing but the sound of chirping insects. Garnet stopped once again, lifting her eyes from the ground and scanning the clearing. Her eyes spotted a piece of cloth stuck on the branches.

Hastily, she made her way over to the cloth, plucking it off the branch it was impaled on and examining it. It had a few drops of blood on it. Garnet’s eyes shifted over to the ground; no footprints. She turned her attention back to the branch. Looking at the other branches and the surrounding area around them didn’t reveal any more of the cloth.  Garnet glanced back at the fabric in her hands.

Powerful, animalistic instinct took over. She brought the cloth up to her nose and whiffed it. Garnet choked slightly, whipping her head away from the offending object and holding her nose. It wasn't that it smelled bad; it was that she could smell _everything_. It smelled of detergents, blood, women, men, dogs, bars, alcohol; it smelled of everything the man – She could smell that the cloth belonged to a man, too- had ever come into contact with. Garnet couldn't exactly pick out which scent was the man’s, so she operated on instinct again and sniffed the air.

Scents flooded her nostrils, overpowering the smog and sending her mind reeling from the overload of information. Garnet gritted sharp teeth together and pressed her palm to her forehead in an attempt to focus enough to pick out a familiar scent. She managed to make a match, even with the overwhelming scents she was experiencing. Her head snapped to face the body. It wasn’t in the clearing -he was a lot further than that- but it was in exactly that direction.

‘There,’ she thought to herself, “he’s over there” Gripping the cloth tightly in her hand, she set off to find the body.

Night had almost completely fallen when Garnet was hit full-force with the smell of rot. She nearly retched at the overpowering scent, stumbling forward and grasping a tree trunk for support. A hand covered her nose as she as hunched over. Gripping the tree trunk slightly, Garnet pushed herself off it and staggered forward towards the brush and through the green. The smell of rot hung potently in the air. Garnet looked down at the blood-stained grass and the decayed half-eaten body.

“Stars, that’s disgusting.” Garnet whispered to herself, eyes on the body. Slowly, she lowered herself down to the ground, examining the grass for anything odd while desperately trying to keep her mind off of the corpse and her returning hunger. The blood was completely dried and, from what she could see and smell, belonged entirely to the man. She strained her vision as she tried to pick out any hairs amongst the grass, before giving up and pulling out her flashlight from her utility belt. Shining the light on the grass, she couldn’t pick out a hair on the ground, nor on the man.

She turned her gaze up, looking at the man’s face, or rather what was left of it. It was almost completely scratched off, making him unrecognizable to Garnet; He was bald as well. Her eyes trailed over to his fingers, severed at the joint. A frown pulled on Garnet’s lips.

“This had to be intentional.” The cuts were clean, not torn and jagged as if it had been torn off. Almost as if a knife had run through them. Leaning over the body, her hands gripped the bottom of the jaw and the top of the head. She pulled the mouth open, wincing at the crackling noise it made. No teeth. A hand rubbed at her chin.

_For whatever reason, they didn’t want this body to be identified, or at least not easily._

She quickly checked around the ground again; still no semblance of fur. A huff escaped from her as Garnet sat back. She started racking her mind, trying to make sense of the lack of evidence.

“No fur or blood at the lot, not even mine. Nothing of mine at the theatre, only my blood. And nothing here besides the body.” She furrowed her brow.  She pressed a hand to her temple. “C’mon, think.” Her mind flashed back to when she woke up. Garnet couldn’t recall whether there was any fur around her where she reverted.

“So does it just disappear?!” Garnet called out to no one. She shook her head. “No, any evidence that pointed back to me or the beast at the lot was obviously cleaned up.” She gritted her fangs together.

_It must be mix of the two. The fur probably doesn’t fall off when I revert, and obviously whoever bit me is trying to cover their tracks._

Garnet heard voices somewhere off in the distance. Had she been followed? She started listening.

“What the hell are with these dogs? They’re freaking out over here!” One voice said.

“We’re close to the body then. The caller reported that it was somewhere around this area.” Another unrecognizable voice.

“They probably just smell a fox or something. Give them a smack on the ass and keep moving.” Garnet immediately recognized the voice; Jasper.

“Shit.” Garnet murmured to herself. She sprinted off away from the voices, hiding behind a tree while still remaining in view of the body. She waited for what felt like hours until the cops broke the clearing.

“Oh stars that’s- Guys, I found it! “Garnet could hear the cops chattering amongst themselves as she looked away from the site. Her eyes stared down at the ground, her fists shaking furiously.

_She reported it! She’s trying to impede me!_

A snarl nearly made its way out of Garnet before she slapped a hand over her mouth, muffling it. If she wasn’t suspicious of Sharky and the new boss, Holly, she definitely was now.

“Hey, whose flashlight is this?”

Fuck.

Her hands scrambled for her utility belt, realizing that she left the flashlight behind in her escape. Her head slammed back against the trunk of the tree as she muttered curses to herself.

“This looks like a standard-issued, the ones they give us-“

“Don’t pick it up using your hands dumbass! Use a bag.” Jasper’s voice bellowed over the other cop’s. Garnet’s heart slammed against her chest; she couldn’t play it off by walking over there and pretending to be a part of the group, she was supposed to be off-duty hours ago.

_Not good. Not good. Not good-_

**_We could just kill them._ **

_Not helping!_

Garnet felt herself begin to panic. This _couldn’t_ be traced back to her. She was already being investigated for the theatre mauling; if the flashlight was traced back to her then it would place even more suspicion on her. She tried to think of possible solutions, but came up with nothing.

She moved through the trees, inching slightly closer to the cops. She could hear increased whimpering from the dogs.

“What the hell are wrong with these dogs?” She heard one of the voices say. Garnet frowned. On a hunch, she moved closer to the group. The dogs began whining and barking, and it was towards her general direction. She was reminded of Lion, and how he was terrified of her.

_It must be the same for the dogs._

She moved forward quickly until she was only a few feet away from the group and the body. As she expected, the dogs started yelping and barking, before turning around and taking off into the woods.

“Hey!” One of the cops let out a sharp whistle, making Garnet ears hurt slightly. “Hey come back!” They took off after the dogs.

“Go follow them! We can’t lose those K-9 units; I’m already getting docked!” Jasper yelled at the other. They took off after the dogs too. Garnet breathed a sigh of relief, but Jasper was still there. She looked at her from behind the tree, just in time to catch her picking up the bagged flashlight and examining it. Garnet gritted her teeth.

_Fuck._

**_Killing her is still an option_ **

_Shut the hell up!_

She was out of ideas, watching helplessly as the buff woman held onto the bag while examining the body. She could hear her call in the radio; no doubt giving directions to other first responders. Garnet slowly began to maneuver through the trees and away from the scene. She took care on not stepping on any twigs or dead leaf piles. Once far enough, she let out a yell as she punched a tree, splintering the wood and further injuring her hand. Garnet couldn’t bring it in her to care as she repeatedly slammed her fist into the tree over and over again until her hand was numb and dripping blood and there was a considerable hole in the trunk.

Leaning against it, Garnet let out pants laced with growls. Her fangs had elongated and her eyes had changed into a piercing golden color. She raised her uninjured hand to her view; the tips of her fingers were throbbing dully, and her nails were slightly cracked down the middle, claws threatening to break free from them. She let her hand drop to her side, still grasping onto the trunk with her injured hand.

“They’re protecting them!” Garnet spat out, her voice far rougher than usual. She pushed herself off the tree trunk and began heading towards the direction of the Marlin & Co. “They’re trying to keep me from finding them!” Her mind was clouded with rage, all rational thought leaving her as she nearly broke off into a sprint towards the lot.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was beginning to piece together the story; the lack of evidence at the lot, her old boss refusing to give up information about the attack, her immediate resignation, the body not being reported, Sharky refusing to give up info on its whereabouts, and how they called the police to hinder Garnet’s investigation. Even more, what if they were depending on linking Garnet to the crime? It only made her angrier, and she was beginning to see red as she passed through the trees.

_Calm down._

_I CAN’T_

_You’re going to do something you’ll regret._

_I’LL RIP TH **EM APART**_

_And prove your victims right? That you’re a monster?_

**_I DON’T CARE WHAT THEY THINK_ **

_You’ll go against everything you stand for, harming the innocent-_

**_THEY ARE NOT INNOCENT_ **

She was getting closer; smog was beginning to replace the scents in the air. Garnet let out a hiss of pain as claws broke through her fingernails.

_Think about what you are doing!_

**_I THOUGHT ABOUT IT_ **

Garnet broke through the treeline, finding herself at the lot. She glanced around until her golden eyes locked on the building. She stalked over to it, passing through the lot and somehow not being noticed by the wandering guard. The door was slammed open, and she stomped down the corridors to the main office. She passed by multiple doors until she stomped at one in particular. Her gaze darkened as she stared at it.

_You’ll regret it_

**_No I won’t_ **

Garnet slammed the office door open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Garnet's pissed and someone is gonna get hurt. See you next time!


	13. Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was later than usual! It's a bit heavy on dialouge, unfortunately. Sorry if it's subpar

** Regret **

The door slammed open, making the walls vibrate and sending hung pictures to the floor. Garnet glared daggers at the woman sitting in the chair.

“What the fu-?!” Holly clamped up, eyes widening as she noticed the furious glowing golden eyes staring back at her. She stood up from her chair, backing away towards the wall. “What are you?” Garnet bared her teeth in a snarl. In a near breakneck speed, she had crossed the room and grabbed Holly by her collar, slamming her against the wall with enough force that it made her head rebound off it.One hand held tightly onto the collar, the other was stretched back, ready to tear out her throat

 ** _“You’re protecting them!”_** Garnet snarled. She let out a few quick pants ** _. “You’re trying to hide them from me!”_** Holly regarded her with a dazed look, head still reeling from the hard hit.

“Hide who?!” Holly shouted back. Garnet let out a shout as she clamped her injured hand over her neck, attempting to dig her claws in but her fingers refused to move, only slightly twitching.

 ** _“You didn't report the body! You kept it hidden!”_** Garnet accused. Holly struggled in her grip, before sending a heeled-kick into Garnet’s stomach. Garnet stumbled back, dropping Holly to the floor.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Holly yelled, snatching a meter stick from her desk. Garnet roared, rushing at Holly; Holly swung the meter stick, barely grazing the tip of Garnet’s nose but making her flinch and step back. Holly swung the meter stick again and again, taking a step forward with each swing until Garnet caught the stick. Garnet yanked it from Holly’s grip, snapping it in half and throwing each piece to the other side of the room.

“ ** _You called the police so I would look guilty!”_**

Garnet continued, lunging for Holly again. Holly moved away right before Garnet tackled her, making her hit the desk instead. Garnet let out an aggravated roar, pushing herself off the desk and grabbing the edge of it with her one hand. She threw it towards Holly.

“You’re insane!!” Holly exclaimed, flinching away as the desk barely missed her. “I have no idea what you're talking about!”

 ** _“LIAR!”_** Garnet sprung towards her and swiped at her, tearing into Holly’s shoulder with her claws. The woman let out a cry of pain, slapping a hand over her shoulder. Garnet barreled into her, knocking them both to the ground. Garnet’s hand dug into Holly’s abdomen, ripping through her business suit and stabbing into the soft skin of her belly. She swiped again and again, tearing away bloody strips of flesh while Holly screamed and struggled.

 Her hand drew back, soaked with blood, and slapped down on Holly’s shoulder. Garnet brought her mouth to Holly’s throat, fangs bared, ready to sink in. Holly reached behind her and grabbed an object Garnet couldn't identify, thrusting it towards the crook of Garnet’s neck with as much force as she could muster. Garnet reeled back with a roar of pain, grabbing onto the item. It was the meter stick, embedded halfway through her shoulder. Holly kicked Garnet off of her, before scrambling back towards the wall, arms wrapped around her stomach.

“You-you-“Holly looked down at her stomach with wide, dilated eyes. Garnet pushed herself off the ground, standing up. One hand held onto the meter stick while the other hung uselessly at her side; the nerve was damaged.

 ** _“Where are they?”_** Garnet growled out, panting heavily. Holly’s gaze shot back to Garnet.

“I don’t know!” Holly cried out, tears spilling free from her eyes. “I don’t know who or what you’re talking about!” Garnet hissed as she began to pull at the meter stick. It came free from her flesh with a loud ‘Schlick!’ Blood leaked freely from the wound; Garnet gripped the stick in her hand as she stalked towards her.

“Don't you take another step.” Garnet’s head whipped towards the source of the voice; Sharky was standing in the doorway, handgun drawn and aimed at Garnet. Garnet glowered at her, golden eyes burning straight through her. Sharky’s heartbeat was erratic, and Garnet could smell fear rolling off of her.

“To-took you long enough!” Holly yelled. She let out a moan of pain, clutching her stomach harder. Garnet looked back to her, baring her teeth.

“Really? I come in here to save your ass and the first thing you do is give me attitude?!” Sharky yelled back. Garnet looked back, rage still boiling. Sharky glanced back towards her.

“Stay still!” Garnet snarled at her. Sharky flinched. Her arm quaked as she spoke “Lo-look, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, or what your reasoning behind this is, but this isn't the Garnet I know. I don't want to do this.” She steeled her gaze, and forced her arm to stop shaking.

“Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head.” Garnet huffed at the order.

 ** _“Why did you call them?”_** She said. Sharky froze, eyes widening. her arms trembled for a moment before stilling

“I-I don't know what you’re talking about.” Garnet growled again.

 ** _“I went to investigate, and you called the police to stop me!”_** Her voice rose as she turned to fully face Sharky.

“I had to! Look just let me explain-”

**_“What?!”_ **

“I-I couldn't. Our old boss, Miss Blue, instructed all of us not to let you back here.” Sharky quickly explained. Garnet’s face morphed into a variety of expressions, from shock, to contemplative, and back to anger.

 ** _“Why?!”_** Garnet shouted. Sharky slowly lowered her gun down to her side.

“I don't know! She just told us to keep you away before she resigned. Holly has nothing to do with it!” Garnet’s breathing started to slow as the rage ebbed away and she began to relax.

 ** _“Where is she now?”_** Garnet asked Sharky.

“Why are you still talking to her? Just shoot her!” Holly shouted from the other side of the room. Garnet shot her a warning look, noticing how her skin had significantly paled. She looked seconds away from death.  Garnet heard the click of the gun, head whipping towards the noise. Sharky had it pointed downwards to the floor, finger off the trigger.

“Look, Holly’s hurt, I need to call someone to get her. I need you stay put-“

“ ** _So you can call the police on me? Not a chance.”_** Her voice was still had a growl in it, a sign that she was not all the way back.

“Holly still needs-“

“CAN YOU STOP ARGUING AND HELP ME?!” The pair turned to look back at Holly, who was attempting to stand up. Her arm was wrapped around her wounded stomach, the other bracing her against the wall. Garnet breathed out, looking at her bloody hands with distaste.

“ ** _Go help her. I’ll be contacting_** _you later.”_ Sharky shook her head, blocking the door.

“No, you need to stay put-“

 _“Get out of my way.”_ Just as quickly as it left, the rage returned. Garnet clenched her still-working hand into a fist. Sharky seemed to think things over for a moment, glancing back towards the door and Holly. Finally, her eyes focused down on Garnet’s bloodied hands. She rose the gun up again

“You will stay-“before Sharky could get the rest of her words out, Garnet had rushed towards her. She fired a shot that embedded itself into the wall behind Garnet, and another that grazed her forearm. Garnet reached for the gun, grabbing it by its muzzle and pointing it downwards away from her. Sharky pulled backward and threw a punch that connected with Garnet’s cheek. She let go, only to extend her hand out again and rake her claws down Sharky’s exposed forearm. Letting out a cry of pain, Sharky grasped her forearm with her free hand; Garnet made a grab for the gun again.

Yanking the gun from her grip, Garnet aimed the gun down at Sharky’s leg and fired.

“Gah!” She fell down, grasping her leg near the bullet hole. Wide eyes looked up at Garnet’s blank face. Without another word, Garnet shoved the gun into her belt and headed towards the door, not sparing a glance back at the injured pair.

As she walked down the hallway, Garnet stopped at a metal door. She quickly pressed in the code on the keypad next to it. The door swung open, revealing the room inside to be the camera room, the cameras unattended. Garnet walked briskly towards the monitors, ejecting the tapes inside them. Grasping the tapes in her one working hand, she turned back around and started towards the exit.

* * *

 

It was only when she had fully calmed down that the weight of her actions and the extent of her injuries hit Garnet. Her arm was tingling painfully, and it felt as if bolts of electricity were shooting down from her neck to her fingertips; on the brightside, she could move it again, though minimally. The open wound and the graze had long since healed over, leaving bruises that were tender to the touch in their wake. Garnet rubbed at her bruised and swollen cheek, wincing at the pain.

_Do you feel better now?_

Her mind mocked her as she opened the door to her house. Stepping inside, Garnet shuffled over to the couch, pulling the gun from her belt and throwing onto the couch. The tapes were next to follow.

_Got that out of your system?_

Garnet fell down to the floor next, head in her uninjured hand, eyes stinging with tears. She took in a shaky breath.

**_You’re not going to that heal on your own At least not quickly, anyway._ **

The inner voice chimed in. Garnet looked down at her horribly swollen hand. She forced herself to her feet, making her way to the bathroom.

_You enjoyed it._

“I didn’t!” Garnet didn’t know who she was yelling to. She opened the door and planted herself at the sink, turning it on.

_Look at yourself._

Garnet set her hands under the hot water, scrubbing away the blood and grim from them. She didn’t dare to look up at her reflection.

_You wanted to._

_“_ I-I couldn’t control myself.” A tear fell into the pink water below her. She scrubbed her hands harder, washing the red stains from her hand.

_Pathetic excuse._

Her hands begun to bleed, skin rubbed raw from Garnet’s violent scrubbing. A quick sob escaped her.

_Look at yourself._

Garnet looked up, staring at her reflection. Sad, mismatched eyes stared back at her, traces of gold still in them. She blinked, sending more tears down her face, and focused back down at her bleeding hands. She pulled them out from under the facet, watching as the skin healed in front of her. She turned the faucet off.

Turning away from the mirror and the sink, Garnet trudged back to her living room. She grabbed the tapes and the gun off its cushions, and lifting one of them and stuffing the items under it. She pressed a hand down on the cushion; no noticeable lumps. Her hand fished for her phone. She dialed in a number.

It rung. No answer

Garnet tried again.

Nothing.

She tried one more time.

“Hello?” Garnet sucked in a breath.

“Pearl?” Garnet hated how watery her voice sounded.

“Garnet? What’s wrong? Are you crying?” Pearl hit her with question after question. Garnet took a seat on her floor again.

“I-I need help.”

“What’s wrong?” Pearl pressed again.

“I need to go to a hospital.”

“What?! Why, what happened?!” Pearl sounded panicked.

“I got into a fight.”

“With whom?”

“I started it. I’ll tell you later; can you come get me?” Pearl went silent for a moment.

“O-okay, I’m on my way.”  Garnet breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Thank-“Pearl hung up.

Garnet threw the phone aside. She sucked in a breath, bringing both hands to her face.

_She doesn’t love you._

Garnet didn’t respond. Her hands balled into fists.

_She’s been avoiding you._

“I told her what was wrong.”

_You lied._

Garnet stayed silent. Tears leaked freely from her eyes, running down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.

_Why would she want to be with a monster like you?_

“She wouldn’t” Garnet muttered, agreeing with herself. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her chin on top of them.

_No one would._

Garnet kept her eyes to the floor.

_Who will you hurt next?_

“No one, I won’t hurt anyone. N-not anymore.” Garnet clenched her fist, eyes narrowing at the ground.

_Do you really believe that?_

Garnet stayed silent. She heard a car pull into her driveway. With a sigh, she forced herself to her feet. Pearl knocked twice. Garnet opened the door. Pearl's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as she took in the sight in front of her.

“Oh my stars!” Garnet kicked herself for not changing out of her blood stained uniform. Pearl’s eyes roamed over her body, looking for any open wounds.

“It’s not all mine.” Garnet muttered. Pearl’s eyes shot back towards hers. Garnet averted her gaze.

“Who did you fight with?”

“My old coworker; we had a disagreement.” Pearl held onto Garnet’s hand, dragging her out of the house and to her car. Garnet kicked the door shut behind her.

“What kind of disagreement?” Pearl questioned Garnet as she opened the passenger door for her. Garnet stepped inside the car. She waited until Pearl got in the driver’s seat before she answered her.

“She was practicing something… illegal. Obviously, we both had different ideas on how that should be handled.”

“So you resorted to violence?” Pearl sounded angry. Garnet winced, turning to look out the window as they pulled out of her driveway.  She weakly nodded.

“Y-yeah.” Garnet rubbed at her tingling arm with her hand. The car was silent for a moment.

“What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!” Pearl blew up; holding the steering wheel in a death grip as she angrily stared ahead at the road.

“I-I didn’t mean for it to get so far! I just couldn’t stop myself.” Garnet kept her eyes to the window.

“That’s no excuse! Look at you, you’re covered in blood!” Garnet winced. She pressed her fingers into her arms, claws slightly digging in. She took in a deep breath.

“I know.” Pearl stopped at a traffic light. She turned to face Garnet.

“How badly were they hurt?” Garnet stiffened, memories resurfacing from her period of insanity.

“Bad.” Garnet simply answered. Pearl huffed.

“How bad?”

“Bad enough that I’m covered in their blood.” Garnet said. The light turned green; Pearl pulled her gaze back to the road.

“Did you use your gun?” Pearl asked. Garnet shook her head.

“Jus’ my fists.” She looked down at her bruised knuckles.

“Did you call an ambulance?”

“No.” Pearl’s face was nearly beat red at this point.

“So you beat them into a bloody pulp and left?” Garnet raked her claws down her arm, cutting into the skin. She took in another deep breath.

“Yes.” Pearl’s heart rate picked up. Garnet winced as it practically thumped in her ears.

“I don’t-I don’t have words.” Her voice was an angry stutter. Garnet raked her claws again.

“You didn’t have to come get me.” Pearl scoffed.

“But I did.” Her tone was cold. Garnet hissed.

“Why?” She glanced back at Pearl finally, eyes narrowed.

“Because I care.” Pearl pulled over into a parking spot. She yanked her keys from the ignition and opened her door, getting out of the car. Garnet opened her door and stepped out. Stuffing her hands into her pocket and biting back a cry of pain, she walked alongside Pearl to the hospital entrance.

Stepping inside, Garnet winced at the onslaught of scents; from strong chemicals to patients. She lifted a hand to cover her nose.

“Take a seat; I’ll go get- why are you covering your nose?” Pearl interrupted herself mid-sentence, noticing Garnet’s behavior.

“It stinks.” Was Garnet’s simple answer. Pearl frowned, before inhaling deeply through her nose. Raising an eyebrow, she mouthed an ‘okay’ as she walked up to the reception desk. Garnet took a seat in one of the chairs.

After nearly an hour of waiting, Garnet was called. She stood from her chair, shooting a look at Pearl.

“Call me when you’re done.” Pearl said, standing up from her seat and stretched. Garnet averted her gaze.

“I don’t have my phone on me.” Garnet recalled throwing her phone aside when she was done with it. Pearl looked annoyed.

“Alright, I guess I’m waiting then.” She sat back down. Garnet winced. She followed the nurse to the examination room. The nurse stopped at a door; she opened it for Garnet.

“Just wait in here, the doctor will be with you soon.” Garnet nodded, taking a seat in a chair. She stared down at her hands, one bloody and the other incredibly swollen.

_She doesn’t want to be here with you._

“She still came.” Garnet reasoned with herself.

_Out of obligation, for being your ‘friend’._

Garnet gritted her teeth together. She clenched her fist in a ball, the other twitching slightly.

_She hates you._

“No she doesn’t!”

_You saw how she acted in the car._

“I-it was reasonable! It was because I got into a fight.” Garnet’s breathing began to quicken.

_Yes, a ‘fight’. Does that explain why she’s been avoiding you? Even after your ‘talk’?_

Garnet’s heart thudded in her chest; she gripped the fabric of her pants. She shook her head, taking in a long, shaky breath. The door to the examination room swung open. Garnet glanced up.

“Hello, I’m Dr.Stromberg-“The doctor stopped, staring ahead at Garnet with wide eyes. Garnet stared back, equally as surprised. She stood up from her seat.

“It’s you.” She heard him swallow.

“Ms. Clarke, a pleasure to see you again.” He sounded nervous, and he looked visibly uncomfortable as he shut the door behind him. “What seems to be the problem today?”

Garnet didn’t answer, staring straight at him. A mix of emotions ran through her, face changing into a variety of different expressions in response to them. She narrowed her eyes at him.

“You.” She took a step forward. The doctor glanced about.

“I know that. What about your real problem?” He backed up slightly towards the door. Garnet stepped forward again.

“You.” Garnet repeated. She stalked towards Dr.Stromberg, sadness fleeting as anger set back in.

“Ms.Clarke-“

“You!” She slammed both hands onto the door, trapping him in.  He shrunk back from her, back pressing against the door.

“L-let’s not do anything brash.” He began to sweat; his heart was going a mile a minute. Garnet leaned forward.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Garnet hissed. “You knew what was going to happen to me.” Stromberg shook his head rapidly.

“N-no! I don’t know what you mean.” He defended himself. Garnet let out a growl.

“Who brought me in that night?” Garnet kept her eyes trained on his. Stromberg nervously looked away.

“No one! You came in here yourself!” That came as a shock, Garnet’s eyes widened at the reveal.

“What?” The doctor let out a breath of relief.

“You came in yourself. You looked near death’s door. You didn’t say anything to us; you stood there until you got help.” Garnet pulled away, and Stromberg relaxed against the door.

“And that’s how all my belongings got there? Did I bring a spare change of clothes with me?” Garnet questioned him, rubbing her chin. Stromberg shook his head.

“No, that was brought in by your parents” Garnet perked up at the information.

“My parents?”

“They said you texted them to.” Garnet sat still, pondering over this information. She turned back, heading towards the examination table. She took a seat on it.

_It does make sense_

**_Are we really going to believe this guy?_ **

_Why wouldn’t we?_

**_No one that has nothing to hide is that nervous._ **

Garnet glanced at the man, still looking about and nervously shuffling side to side. She frowned.

_You have a point there._

**_Of course I do._ **

Garnet made up her resolve.

_I’ll check my texts again; if I didn’t text them to come, then I’ll come back._

Garnet nodded to herself. She looked up at Stromberg.

“Well, first of all, I broke my hand.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's safe to say that this chapter went from 100 to 50 to 0 to 25 and back to 0 again, haha.


	14. Questioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet begins to make sense of things on the brink of the full moon, and things go from bad to worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted a bit earlier this week. Things are calmer this chapter, and there is a bit of a timeskip between this one and the last.

** Questioning **

 

Garnet tried not to look out the window.

The waxing gibbous was present outside, and it only served to make her more nervous every time she caught a glimpse of it. Her hands scrolled through her phone, one wrapped in bandaging and the other one not. It turned out the hospital visit wouldn’t be something she could so easily just walk in and walk out in a matter of a few hours. It also turned out that a ‘broken hand’ was a severe understatement; it was more along the lines of “completely shattered knuckles and proximal phalanges.” She couldn’t convince the doctor otherwise to let her out of the hospital, that she could heal it on her own. Dr. Stromberg insisted on a reconstruction surgery that led her to be stuck in the hospital for a full week.

It irritated her to no end, and the wolfish side of Garnet was completely convinced that he was doing it to hinder her searching, that he knew she was on a time crunch to find whoever bit her, so he kept her there for as long as possible. Gnawing on a chicken bone, Garnet continued to scroll through messages with her mom, trying to find the texts sent on the days she was unconscious. For a moment, she wished she hadn’t held so many conversations with her during the last month. She finally reached the day she woke up, mismatched eyes scanning the screen.

_Garnet- I’m at the hospital_

_Ruby- WHAT ARE YOU OKAY_

_Garnet- Fine._

_Ruby- UR MOMS FREAKING OUT WERE GOING OVER THERE_

_Garnet- Visiting isn’t allowed. Bring clothes._

_Ruby- HOW IS VISITING NOT ALLOWED ILL BRING UR FAVORITE SHIT_

_Ruby- SHIRT_

_Ruby- WERE IN THE CAR BE THERE IN A FEW HOURS_

Garnet couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped as she read over her mom’s texts. It quickly went away, along with her amused expression, as she read over her texts again. It was same thing as with her texts with Pearl; they sounded nothing like her. Garnet shifted around on her windowseat, rereading the messages again. She exited out of her texts with Ruby, and brought up Sapphire’s number. She scrolled all the way back once again.

_Sapphire- Ruby told me what happened, are you okay??_

_Garnet- Fine._

_Sapphire- How bad is it?_

_Garnet- Could be worse_

_Sapphire- We’re almost there. You still wear denim, correct?_

Garnet exited out of the messages. Hesitantly, she brought up her messages with Miss Blue. She scrolled to the hospital messages.

_Garnet- Can't come in tomorrow. Medical emergency_

_Blue boss- Alright, I wish you a well recovery._

_Garnet- Paid time off?_

_Blue Boss- No._

_That_ sounded like her. Garnet frowned deeply; it didn't add up, though. Miss Blue knew she was attacked at the lot, so why would she have to text her about her condition?

“She’s involved.” As if she needed more convincing. Garnet sighed, shutting off her phone and throwing it on a pillow adjacent to her. She rubbed her forehead with her hand.

 _This would go faster if I had help_.

Looking for Miss Blue would take a while, no doubt about that. She didn't live in Beach City; Garnet’s search would be extended to an even broader range. She still had to worry about what would come out of the whole flashlight ordeal, and more signs of the werewolf would probably not show up until after the next full moon, but that would be on top of dealing with the aftermath of her own transformation. She shuddered slightly. The last thing she wanted to do was change again.

“I should probably be making plans for that, too” Garnet chucked the chicken bone away from her, an irritated look on her features. “Can’t get caught off guard again. Can’t hurt anyone else.”

That had been her mantra the past week. She couldn't have another incident happen like at the lot; what if she couldn't be calmed down in time? What if her anger was directed to someone important to her? Garnet shook her head; she didn't want to think about it, but it was a very real possibility.

_I can't do this alone._

Garnet wished that wasn't true, but it was. She leaned against the wall, head rotating to rest against the window. Her eyes trailed up to the moon.

“I don't like you.” She muttered, as if it would hear her. She turned her gaze away before she could become transfixed. “I used to. Not anymore.” A small, bitter chuckle escaped through her thick lips.

“Stars, fuck me.” Another chuckle, louder this time. “Fuck me.”  It seemed funny when she thought back to it. In nearly two months she had become a thing of legend, murdered two, maybe three, people, been investigated for said murders, possibly been framed for another, assaulted three different people, and lost her best friend.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't funny, but Garnet couldn't find it in her to cry anymore.

* * *

 

Garnet never thought she would ever have to read a crime report about herself.

She considered herself lucky that the report submitted by Holly was given to her; it made it far easier for her to shred it up and throw it away. When met with the suspicious eyes of a fellow officer, she simply said that it was a false report.

She was still shaking when she went back to her assigned desk, breathing in and out as she tried to convince herself that her report was futile, that stealing the security tapes would eliminate the majority of evidence against her. Still, Garnet was doubtful.

Her thoughts were interrupted when something hit her desk with a loud thud. Looking up, her blood ran cold when she saw a bagged flashlight sitting on her desk.

“So, I saw that you were missing your flashlight.” Jasper said, a wide grin on her face as she strode away from the dark woman. She grabbed a chair from a nearby desk, dragging it over and setting up in front of Garnet. Taking a seat, she spoke again.

“Now, what was _your_ flashlight doing at a murder scene, hm?” Garnet tried not to let panic show on her face. “Better yet, if you were there; why wasn’t it reported?” Garnet breathed out, flexing her fingers.

“Jasper-“

“You’re gonna be owing me another favor.” Jasper interrupted her. Garnet raised an eyebrow.

“I-“

“You see, I could’ve dropped this off at forensics.” She pointed a large finger towards the bag. “Let them lift the fingerprints off it and figure it out, but I was hesitant. I looked at every single officer in this building to find out whose flashlight was missing from their belt-”

“So you could blackmail them.” Jasper grinned.

“And it so happened that the officer missing their flashlight was you.” Jasper finished, not missing a beat despite the interruption. Garnet frowned. “First, you assaulted me. Then, your blood was found at the theatre where someone happened to die. And now, I found your flashlight next to a dead body that was deliberately mutilated to the point where they couldn’t be identified.”

“You’re accusing me.” Garnet growled out. Jasper let out a loud laugh, drawing the attention of another officer in the room. Jasper waited until they faced away before she spoke again.

“Oh, I’m not accusing you; it’s clear as day that you have a part in all of this.” Garnet narrowed her eyes. “Let’s not forget about Holly and Sharky.” Her face morphed into an expression of horror. Jasper laughed again.

“Oh Garnet! Did you forget that ol’ Sharky is my cousin?” She slapped a hand to the desk. Garnet flinched.

“Scratch marks on Sharky’s wrist, gunshot on her leg, and the only thing that kept Holly’s entrails from spilling out was her own arm around her stomach.” Jasper continued. Garnet averted her gaze, clenching her fists tightly despite the protest of her bandaged one. She kept silent, though it was obvious that Jasper was waiting for her to respond.

“…a favor, you said?” Jasper snorted.

“Haven’t decided yet, but let it be known that no one else at this station knows about this; only I do.” Jasper sneered. “Do you know why?” Garnet shook her head slowly, eyes focused on her desk.

“I want to be the one to figure it out, and I want to be the one to haul your ass in.” Jasper glared down at Garnet with a grin that stretched ear-to-ear.

“I have my eye on you, Clarke. I always knew you were fucked, ever since that evidence-destroying fiasco.” Garnet gaze snapped to her, a fiery look in her eyes.

“You mean the fiasco that you set me up for?!” Garnet yelled, slamming her hands down onto her desk and jolting up from her seat. The officer had looked over at the pair again, but instead of saying anything, she slowly backed out of the room.

“I set you up for that, but all of this,” The buff woman made another gesture to the bag “this is _all_ you.” Garnet growled, deep in her throat. Jasper made no reaction. She leaned in closely to Garnet, eyes narrowed and teeth clenched.

“You’re a fucking murderer, and once I have enough evidence, I’ll make sure everybody knows that.” Jasper abruptly stood up from her seat, grabbing the flashlight off the desk and striding away. Garnet watched after her until she disappeared around a corner. Her stomach dropped, and she felt as if she were about to vomit. Her heart thumped in her ears, and she broke out into a cold sweat.

* * *

 

Despite the sickening feeling in her stomach after her interaction with Jasper, Garnet still headed to the hospital after her shift was over. The walk was long (the captain still refused to allow her to get her car keys) and it gave her time to calm down before she had to meet the doctor, but her nerves were still fried by the time she found herself at its entrance. She asked the receptionist for Stromberg; her police uniform was enough to convince her to tell Garnet.

The smell of the hospital was almost rancid to Garnet’s enhanced senses; she couldn't help but to keep a hand over her nose the entire time she looked for Stromberg. She had gotten the information she needed after finally checking her phone; now she needed to interrogate him. She walked through hallway after hallway, eyes scanning around for his office. Finally, she caught site of a door labeled with his name. The inside was dark, but she could smell him inside the room. He must've been expecting her. Grimacing slightly, she stepped forward and swiftly knocked.

At first she heard scrambling, then a loud crash as something knocked to the floor, and then, silence. Garnet frowned, knocking again. More silence.

“I'm not in the mood to play games, Stromberg.” Garnet said through the door. She heard him move around in the room, before the door clicked. Garnet opened it and shut it behind her; her eyes were relieved for the darkness of the room.

“Ms.Clarke, how is everything healing? Have you been attending physical therapy like I-”

“I don't need it.” Garnet held up her hand, flexing it twice. Dull pain shot from her hand down to her arm; it wasn't completely healed, but it was close. Stromberg flinched.

“You really shouldn't do that, what with the rods in place…”

“I need answers. I'm not leaving until I get them.” Garnet said. Stromberg looked away.

“Who let you in here?” It was murmured under his breath, but Garnet’s sensitive hearing caught it as if he had said it clear as day.

“I didn't walk in here alone, so don't pull that shit on me again.” Garnet started. Stromberg shot a look her way.

“You _did_. I told you, you walked in here looking like you were near deaths door and didn't say anything until we treated you. Ask the receptionist or a nurse if you don't believe me.” Stromberg held a degree of confidence as he said this. Garnet took note on the behavior.

“Was I visited by anyone?” Stromberg deflated almost instantly.

“N-no, you we-”

“I'm going to repeat myself again.” Garnet stepped forward towards the doctor. “Was.I.visited.by.someone?” Garnet took a step with every word she enunciated. Stromberg backed away until his back hit his desk.

“Well, your parents tried to visit, but you were in emergency surgery at the time.”

“When?”

“Oh, uh… around 12:30, maybe?”

“Am or pm?” Garnet took out her phone, selecting the messenger app. She scrolled to her messages with her parents.

“Pm.”

Garnet checked the time she first sent the message to Ruby: 9:56 am

“How long was I in surgery since then?” Garnet questioned him, eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

“Since 8 am.” A smirk spread across Garnet’s face. There was no way she could have sent the message.

“Alright, I go back to my original question: was I visited by someone else?” Stromberg shuffled his feet, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Was it anyone named ‘Anika Blue?” He went pale at the name.

“N-no I don’t recall hearing that name before.” Garnet threw her head back, letting out a groan of frustration.

“Look, lie as much as you want, I know she was there.” Garnet said. Stromberg winced, tensing up considerably. He relaxed, shoulders slacking.

“Alright, look,” He slapped his forehead. “She came in here barely even ten minutes after we dragged you off to the ER; she asked for me personally. I talked to her, and she told me not to let you know anything.”

“And what did she not want me to know?” Garnet questioned the doctor.

“Everything I just told you: How you arrived, how you had your belongings, that she was here…” The doctor trailed off. Garnet rubbed her forehead.

“Anything else you want to tell me?” The doctor shook his head.

“No, I don’t know anything else.”

“Do you know where Anika is?” The doctor pursed his lips.

“She does not any records at this hospital, or at least any that I know of. That’s only way I would know her address.” Stromberg said. Garnet sighed.

_That’s just my luck. I guess I’ll have to find Miss Blue on my own._

She nodded her thanks to the doctor.

“We’ll keep in touch.” The doctor looked like he wanted to object, but Garnet shot him a look that made the man pale slightly. He wrung his hands in front of his chest.

“I’m not aiding in anything… illegal, right?” He said quietly. The corner of her mouth quirked up.

“We’ll see.” With that said, Garnet turned towards the door and left. Stromberg waited a few minutes until he was certain she was out of earshot, before straightening his posture and steeling his gaze. He turned away from the door and strode over to his desk, picking up the desk phone from its stand and dialing a number with his index finger. It rung for a moment, before the line picked up; Stromberg didn’t wait for the receiver to speak.

“We have a problem with the mutt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never know what to put down here; maybe I'll start adding fun facts about the story or something


	15. Second Time Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet lets Pearl know a bit more about her situation, and she goes through another transformation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter! Was originally 3000 words but a lot of stuff was cut and put into the next chapter. Oh well :P

** Second Time Coming **

_Full moon._

Garnet paced around her hallways, arms crossed and eyes to the floor. Her heart thumped in her chest, and the random waves of nausea that would hit her sent her reeling. Her phone buzzed in the other room, and she found herself making a mad dash towards it. Grabbing the phone off the countertop and checking the message, she let out a growl and slammed it back down. A hand ran through her mane of curls as she resumed her pacing; it was a miracle she hadn’t wore a hole in the carpet.

The phone buzzed again, and Garnet found herself making a frantic scramble towards it once more. She checked the message.

_Pearl- Outside._

Her stomach twisted into knots. She wished she hadn’t asked her for help.

Finding Miss Blue was more of a challenge then Garnet originally thought. It helped to have access to multiple resources in the station that could help her find her, but all of it was fruitless once she realized they had no records of her. It was almost as if she had never been to Beach City before, and Garnet supposed that was true; the company was outside of the town, she probably never had to visit.

She set her phone back down on the counter, steeled her nerves, and headed to the front door. She heard Pearl walk up her steps, before she knocked twice. Garnet waited a few moments before opening the door.

"Hi." She greeted. She gave Pearl a nervous, half-hearted grin before realizing her mistake and quickly shutting her lips together. The other woman didn't notice, as she had took one look at her and snorted, holding a hand up to her mouth to help contain her chuckles.

"Nice glasses." She said in a teasing tone, a small smile creeping up on her lips. Garnet instinctively brought her hand up to her face, pushing up the thick rimmed glasses so they sat comfortably on her nose.

"Oh, I forgot I was wearing these. I got tired of the constant light headaches, so I dug them out of my drawers." Garnet explained in a murmur, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the glasses.

"You haven't worn those since we were in high school; they look adorable on you. Are those the ones with the transition lenses?" Pearl asked with a small smile. A pale hand moved upwards, as if she wanted to touch Garnet's face, before it quickly fell back to her side. Garnet frowned at the display. She wouldn't even touch her anymore.

"Ye-yeah. Hey, look-" Garnet moved aside, allowing the pale woman entry. "Can you, with no questions asked, help me find someone?" Pearl shot her a strange look as she stepped inside.

"No questions asked?" She couldn't keep the suspicion out of her voice. Garnet shut the door and rubbed her hands together, moving past Pearl to stand in the living room.

"Yes, no questions asked."

"Is she a criminal?"

"That's a question." Garnet laughed a little as she said it. She forced herself to stand still--she had begun to pace again--and calm her jumpy nerves. The other woman furrowed her brow.

"Are you okay? You seem... anxious."

"I'm fine!" Her voice cracked slightly as she said it, further solidifying Pearl's suspicions. "Her name is Anika Blue, has she ever stopped by the clinic? Or have you ever seen her around the city?" Pearl frowned, deep in thought. A long finger tapped at her chin as she mulled over the question. Her eyes widened briefly,a s if realizing something.

"Wasn't she your-"

"No questions." Garnet cut her off before she could finish, prompting an annoyed look from her friend. Pearl seemed to think to herself for another moment.

"I think I saw her maybe once at the clinic. Not around town, though" She answered finally, hand leaving her chin to fall at her side. Garnet grinned despite it revealing her sharp teeth to Pearl, unable to keep her excitement and relief contained.

“Does she have records there?” Pearl nodded in affirmation, eyes slightly squinted as she seemed to examine Garnet's mouth. Her grin stretched even wider.

"That’s great! Can you tell me her address?" Garnet asked, voice raising slightly. Pearl drew her gaze away from her mouth to look her in the eyes, expression as incredulous as if Garnet had grown a second head right then and there.

"Give you her address?" She scoffed "Okay, now I'm asking questions." She crossed her arms with a frown. Garnet's grin disappeared and shook her head.

"No, Pearl, it's fine. I just need it for something personal." Pearl scoffed again.

"I'm not giving you her address." She said. Garnet pupils dilated, and she could barely force back a snarl bubbling up her throat.

"Why not?!"

"Garnet, you haven't exactly been in the best mental state lately. How do I know you're aren't going over to-"

"It's not like I'm going to kill her!" Garnet interrupted Pearl, throwing her arms out in exasperation. Pearl huffed, rolling her eyes and tilting her head back.

"Well, that's not a worrying statement at all." Pearl murmured. Garnet made a noise of frustration, slapping her forehead and dragging her hand down her face.

"No, that's not I meant, I just-" Her voice trailed off before she could finish, and she began her pacing again, hands finding themselves in her hair once more. How could she explain it to her? Pearl watched on, hardened gaze melting into a concerned one.

"You're acting unusual." She stepped forward, grabbing ahold of Garnet's bicep. She drew back almost immediately, as if she had been struck. "You feel like you're on fire!" Pearl grabbed ahold of her bicep again, forcing her to turn around. She checked Garnet’s forehead with the back of her hand, and then the sides of her neck with her point fingers, expression reflecting immense worry.

"Is this the 'sickness' acting up again?" Pearl asked as she moved hands away. Garnet swallowed, glancing aside automatically.

“Uh, yes. It’s really bad today.” She lied. Pearl let out a sigh.

“Then it’s an even bigger no.” She said softly, pulling away from Garnet and taking a few steps back. Garnet clenched her fist.

“Pearl, you don’t understand-“

“No, I don’t think you understand. The other day I had to drive you to the hospital because you broke your knuckles beating someone; excuse me if I’m a bit reluctant on giving you her address.” Pearl said with her eyes cast downwards. Garnet winced, rubbing the back of her neck.

“You’re right. I promise you, it’s nothing like that. I just need to talk to her about something.” Garnet assured Pearl. She went back to rubbing her hands together; Pearl noticed this with a frown.

“You’re a nervous wreck.” She stepped forward again. “This can't just be because of the sickness. What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?” Something about the way she said it made Garnet’s anger spike considerably. She scowled at the ground.

“Like you care anymore.”  She snapped. Pearl stepped back as if struck, blue eyes widened.

“What do you mean?”

“You-you’ve been avoiding me, and every time I ask you for something, you act like it’s the biggest burden you ever had to endure. I can’t say I blame you, though.”  Garnet said the last part quietly; Pearl didn’t seem to catch it. Her gaze hardened again.

“I have my reasons, Garnet.”

“Then what are they?!” Garnet shouted loud enough to make Pearl flinch, turning to face the pale woman. “I told you what was wrong, and still you stay away from me!” Pearl recovered with her brief bout of nervousness and held her gaze with her, which only served to make the werewolf angrier. Garnet's hands balled into fists

“Look, I didn’t come here to argue with you. I’m sorry I can’t help you with finding Anika.” Pearl said, not a hint of regret in her tone. She turned to leave. The anger quickly left, and instead Garnet felt panic and remorse set in.

“Pearl, wait.” She grabbed ahold of her hand. The other woman immediately shifted her gaze to their interlocked hands and tried to pull away. Garnet loosened her grip.  “Please. I need to know.”

“My decision is final.” She tugged her hand out of her grip and strode towards her front door.

“N-No, don’t go.” Pearl didn’t listen as she continued to walk away. Garnet made a move towards her. “You don’t understand.”

“Then what is it?” Pearl sighed as she stopped, irritated. Garnet winced, hands fidgeting with each other. The other woman faced her at her lack of response, expression blank. Her stoic look made Garnet turn her gaze to the ground and let out a deep breath. She collected her rampaging thoughts.

“Look… the night I was attacked, something happened to me. I…I changed. I can’t explain how-- not yet-- but Anika knows something about it that I don’t.  An-and after tonight, it’ll only get worse! I need to find her, please!” Garnet’s voice took on a desperate tone as she spoke, and she could barely keep herself from reaching out to grab the pale woman's shoulders. Pearl still stared at her, gaze unwavering, and for a moment Garnet resigned that she wouldn't tell her. Her shoulders began to slump when finally Pearl's eyes softened.

“Keystone, I know she lives in Keystone. I don’t know her address, though.” Pearl said in a soft tone. Garnet wanted to cry out in relief, but instead resolved to give her a smile instead.

“Thank you, Pearl.” Pearl waved her off.

“I will remember what you said, about how you ‘changed’. I want an explanation on that someday. Goodbye.” She opened the front door and stepped outside.

“And I want an explanation on why you're avoiding me. Goodbye, Pearl.” She didn’t wait to see her reaction before turning around, heading towards her dining room. She heard a ‘click’ as the front door shut, and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, moving a hand up to rub her temple.

“Keystone.” She moved her hand aside to wipe away sweat from her brow. “Why does it have to be Keystone?” It was too far for her to travel on foot without her car, which would mean that she could either plead to the captain for her keys again, or take them from evidence; she was leaning more towards the latter.

* * *

 

The sun was just beginning to set when Garnet finally left her house. She locked her door, placing her key under the mat afterwards. She spared a glance down at her attire; ripped, faded jeans, a shirt with several holes in it, and worn sneakers. Clothes she wouldn’t miss if they happened to get ruined. She ran a hand through her afro as she headed down her driveway and towards the sidewalk.

_I don’t want to do this again._

Garnet grimaced.

_Look on the brightside- maybe it’ll be less painful since I’m expecting it this time._

She sincerely doubted that.

She walked on, passing through her neighborhood and heading to Main Street. It became dark quickly, and Garnet was a complete wreck by the time the street lamps turned on. She could barely feel the biting cold of the air against her heated skin, and there was a terrible pain growing in her abdomen.

_Just a bit further._

Towards the forest, away from civilization and the people she could hurt. That had been her plan for tonight, and she hoped that it would work, that she wouldn’t wake up covered in someone else’s blood again. She reached down to scratch an itch on her wrist, and the bite mark responded by heating up to a scalding temperature. Garnet winced.

Her mind grew fuzzy, and soon the empty street split into doubles. She let out a small cry as a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. Hunching over, Garnet wrapped one arm around her stomach as the other grabbed onto a street lamp for support. She glanced up to the full moon, just starting to peak from the horizon. With a shaky breath, she forced herself to stand straight again and move on.

Pavement turned into grass beneath her feet, and soon she found herself passing the last resident house as she headed for the trees. Another sharp pain knocked the breath out of Garnet, and she fell to her hands and knees.

“Gah! _Fuck!”_ She struggled to breath, but her lungs refused to expand properly. She began a slow crawl towards the treeline, quickly thwarted by another sharp pain, this time in her spine.

_Just… further._

A sob escaped from her lips as her spine shifted and involuntarily arched. She pressed her burning face on cold and wet grass. Nails cracked open, leaking blood as claws pushed out-- Nothing like the claws she had as human; they were far sharper and longer. Yellowing eyes shot upwards, looking at the treeline. Garnet forced herself to crawl again.

She barely made it past the treeline before her spine cracked. She fell on her stomach with a gasp, hands clutching fistfuls of grass. Tears streamed from Garnet’s eyes as it cracked and shifted again.

_Fu-Furt **her!**_

Garnet forced herself to stand on her quaking legs. Slowly, she walked forward despite the pain racking her body. Her flesh tingled agonizingly; she raised her arm up to catch the sight of black fur forcing itself out her skin, little droplets of blood pushing out as well. Her mouth filled with said fluid, and she spat it to the ground along with her teeth. Her tongue ran over her gums, expecting holes in them, but instead was nearly shredded with far sharper and longer versions of the fangs.

Garnet fell again and rolled over onto her back, not bothering to go any further as she focused on the full moon in the sky beaming down on her. She ripped away her shirt with her claws, accidently cutting through the skin only for it to heal over.

**_Want… stop!_ **

She let out a distorted scream as her muscles flexed and swelled, ripping through the clothing she could not reach. Garnet lied there, nearly naked as her body continued to change against her will. Her ribs broke and pushed out to make room for her expanding lungs, Feet and palms stretched into large paws, the pads of her fingers thickened and became tougher, the end of her spine expanded into a tail, and finally her jaw unhinged and stretched into a long muzzle.

Darkness bloomed in her vision, though Garnet tried her best to stay awake despite the exhaustion and pain. She felt a pull in her mind, and suddenly she was seeing everything as though she were watching it on a TV. Her limbs moved on their own accord, rolling her over onto her massive paws and shaking her body to rid it of the blood and sweat stuck to her fur. She stood up on her hind legs.

**_Get out of here, it’s my turn._ **

Garnet fell unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to go with the fun fact idea! 1-3 for every chapter.
> 
> -The chapters up to the transformation were written beforehand, but chapter one and the others were written with huge gap of time between them (chapter one was written the month before I announced the story on FF.net, the other chapters were written 3 months later) Though I have since changed these mistakes, this is why the captain is never referred to Captain Wilkes after the first chapter... always reread for continuity errors kids!  
> -Chapter One is my least favorite chapter because of how expository it is.I wish I would have went with the first version instead of the second version that was posted.  
> -The pearlnet was a lot more prominent in earlier versions, but then I realized that 'Hey, Pearl is not a complete dumbass! She would notice some shit is afoot and be incredibly suspicious and even mad that Garnet is hiding it from her!" so it was edited down a ton... unfortunately :(


	16. Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet awakens, and she pays someone a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, sorry for the late chapter, exams suck. Anyways, I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I have another multi-chapter story i want to post, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to work on two different stories. At least, not while only having 3 premade chapters for the story in question and only two premade chapters for this one. I'm leaning towards waiting till this story is done, but an opinion on the matter would be great!

** Doubt **

****

_“Stop… Stay away!”_

Garnet let out a groan, shifting over to her side.

_“Help! Somebody help us!”_

She licked her lips, tasting blood.

“ _Do you think it’s dead?”_

Something brushed against her cheek. Garnet growled, swatting at it. It brushed again. She rolled away from it. There was a strong scent of copper in the air. She hesitantly opened her eyes, the world around her blurry and bright.

Her vision cleared.

She reeled back, letting out a shout as she scrambled away from the man that lied dead in front of her. Her back hit something with a thud, and she looked back to see she hit the baseboard of a bed. Garnet slowly stood up on her shaking legs, using the baseboard for support. On the bed lied another corpse, a woman. She bit her lip, and her hand flew to her mouth, touching the blood smeared around it.

Garnet glanced around the bed room, spotting a detached arm holding a gun in the far corner of the room and a few bullet holes in the wall. She moved a hand to her shoulder and pressed a few fingers into the flesh. It twinged slightly. She moved her hand to her forehead; another twinge. Garnet glanced at the floor, spotting spent casings and used bloodied bullets on the floor.

“They shot me.” She said, matter-of-factly. Garnet felt anger bubble up at the realization. They _shot_ her. She moved away from the bed, legs no long quaking as she headed for the door, pausing for a brief moment to grab ahold of the man’s neck and toss him aside, out of her way as she continued out of the room.

Garnet exited into the living room, and still the smell of death hung thickly in the air-- It probably had something to do with the dismembered dog on the floor. No feelings occurred at the site of it; no regret, no disgust, no fear … only satisfaction.

 _She_ did this, and a grin split across her face at the realization. It was clear that a fight went down in this room, judging by the upturned tables and furniture, and it was even clearer that she won. The grin stretched even wider, exposing all her sharp, blood-stained fangs, and she moved into the kitchen and turned on the sink, washing her hands and arms under the faucet. The water turned red and stained the pristine white dishes in the sink pink

Garnet dried her hands off on a towel and walked out of the kitchen, back into the living room. She looked down at the floor; massive pawprints marred the wood. Curious, she placed her foot down directly on the print; it barely covered half of it. With a small frown, Garnet began to follow the paw prints into the hallway. They led her to a door, and as she looked it over, dread filled her, dashing away her feelings of satisfaction.

Slowly, Garnet opened up the door and glanced inside. She first caught site of a smashed window-- no doubt where she had entered-- and shards of glass littered across the carpet… the puzzle piece carpet. Her heart dropped to her stomach, and bit by bit she moved her eyes from the carpet to the other side of the room.

The site of the gore in the crib made her turn and run, straight past the hallway and the dead dog and outside into the cold air and rain. Garnet fell on her knees and shoved a finger down her throat, gagging but not regurgitating. She tried again with no luck, and the feeling of her full stomach sickened her even more. She tried once more, and she vomited a mixture of gore and bone fragments onto the brown grass.

Gone was her satisfaction as she snapped out of her animalistic stupor, replaced with horror, disgust, and sadness. Garnet jammed her fingers down her throat again, but she only dry heaved several times. It wasn’t all out, but none more would come forth. She fell over on her side away from the puddle of sick and let out a sob that racked her entire body, her hands moving up to cover her face.

“N-o…no...I’m sorry…no” Garnet mumbled, only pausing to cry in between the words. She scratched her nails down her face, leaving marks that closed over seconds later. Garnet didn’t want them to close over, though. She wanted to feel maybe even a fraction of the pain she caused to the family.

_How could I?!_

It all came rushing back to her; the change, running through the forest, finding the house, being shot, killing the family, and the reversion. It made her claw even harder; until her nails dug so deep into her skin she was sure she hit bone. Garnet choked out another sob.

Their words were true; it _would_ get worse. Even in her state, no regret tugged at her for what she did to the family. It seemed that it was only the fact that she wanted to feel bad was what was making her break down. And the feeling of gratification hadn’t entirely left her. Garnet’s sobs died down in a sniffle, and she rolled over onto her palms, pushing herself up and wiping her eyes and cheeks of the mix of tears and blood.

_I can’t cry over this, it won’t help. I need to fix this, that’s the only thing that’ll make it stop._

Steeling her gaze, Garnet stood up and turned back towards the house. Heading inside, she made a beeline for the bedroom, going through the doorway and walking towards a dresser. She took out a t-shirt and pants that weren’t even remotely her size and pulled them on. Walking back out into the living room, she grabbed a nearby table cloth and wrapped it around her hand. Taking the house phone off the wall and dialing 911, she waited until the operator answered, before dropping the phone to the floor and unwrapping her hand. She strode into the kitchen and turned on the sink, scrubbing her face until it was clean of blood.

Face impassive, she left the house.

* * *

 

Keystone, she was in fucking Keystone.

Garnet could recognize the housing anywhere after she wandered into a cul-de-sac. It somewhat amused her, but irritated her at the same time.

**_Thought I’d save you the trip. You’re welcome!_ **

She ignored the beast, instead focusing on the scents in the air. She was certain her parents lived nearby, somewhere next to The Best Diner in the World. Garnet walked away from the cul-de-sac and back into the woods.

It was midafternoon when Garnet finally pin-pointed the location of their house, their scents as strong as ever. She headed up the driveway and towards the front door, knocking twice and waiting. Garnet heard a yelp and her mothers scrambling around. It went quiet for a moment, and the door swung open. At the site of her daughter, Ruby broke out into a wide grin.

“Garnet!” She hugged her, which Garnet didn’t return; instead she stiffened and bared her teeth. Ruby pulled away, a look of happiness and mild disgust on her face; Garnet relaxed almost immediately.

“I was wondering when you visit again! Though I really wished you would have given us a heads-up” The last part was said under her breath. Garnet grunted, looking behind her to see Sapphire sitting on the couch, staring ahead with a flush on her cheeks, similar to the one Ruby sported. She looked back to her mother.

“Can I come in?”  She asked.

“Oh, yeah, sure just-“Garnet didn’t wait for Ruby to finish before heading inside.

“Hello, Garnet.” Sapphire greeted. Garnet ignored her, making a beeline for their kitchen. Ruby followed closely after her.

“So… What’s been going on? We haven’t heard from you in a while.” Ruby stated. Garnet opened up their cabinet and fished out a bottle of whiskey, pulling the cork off and taking a swig.

“Hey that’s… you only drink when something bad happened.” Ruby had initially flared up, but quickly deflated as concern for her daughter overtook her. Garnet didn’t respond, setting the whiskey bottle down and thumbing at the material of her shirt while regarding it with a frown.

“What happened?” Ruby tried again. Garnet grimaced, before returning to the impassive expression she wore since she arrived.

“I murdered a family.” Ruby rolled her eyes, unconvinced.

“Funny. What really happened?” Garnet heard Sapphire move from the couch and into the kitchen. She stood next to her.

“Is it work-related?” Sapphire tried. Garnet glanced between her shirt and the bottle. She grasped the neck of it, holding it up to her face and squinting at the label.

“No.” She turned away from her mothers, heading towards the guest room. “Do you still keep some of my clothes here?

“Why? What you're wearing is fine, I mean, you’re not wearing shoes and it looks a little tight but it okay.” Ruby said, moving her hands about as she spoke.

“Well, I mean it belonged to the wife, so it’s probably bad karma.” Garnet joked lightly with a smile that held no warmth in it. 

“What are you-“Garnet headed into the guest room, shutting the door behind her. She threw the clothes off, dropping them to the floor along with the whiskey bottle. She headed to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt, throwing them on.

Garnet bunched the pile of clothes into a ball and held them in one arm, the other holding the bottle. She headed back outside; her mothers were standing in front of the door, apparently conversing before they quickly hushed to look at her.

“Garnet, you’re acting weird.” Ruby moved forward to put a hand on her arm. Garnet tensed up, eyeing her hand irritably.

“You can talk to us.” Sapphire added, reaching over to grab a blanket off of a chair next to her. Garnet shrugged Ruby’s hand off, walking away from her mothers and towards the kitchen drawer. She opened it and fished out a matchbook.

“I already told you what was wrong, mum.”

“And I’m not in the mood for jokes right now. I mean, you made a surprise visit and- where are you going?” Ruby watched as Garnet headed out their back door into the yard. She stepped a few feet away from the house before dropping the pile of clothes on the grass. Opening the bottle, she poured some of its contents out onto the pile of clothes.

“ _What are you doing?!”_ Garnet lit a match and dropped it on to the clothes, setting them alight. She watched them burn stoically as her mothers ran over. Sapphire quickly used the blanket to smother out the flames; Garnet couldn’t help but be amused at her foresight for bringing it.

“Are you nuts?! You can’t just come over here and set something on fire! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“I’m a werewolf that killed five, possibly six people and a dog.” Garnet admitted, tilting her head to look at her mother with one blue eye. This only served to make Ruby even angrier, and Sapphire even more distressed

“CAN YOU STOP LYING TO US?!” Ruby screamed, stepping close to Garnet, who stared her down.

“I’d never lie to you, mum.”  

“Are you kidding me right now!? First of all, you haven’t visited us in months! You barely talk to us on the phone! And now you showed up here unannounced and set your clothes on fire!” Ruby yelled. Garnet frowned, dropping the bottle down and crossing her arms.

“I didn’t know I would be unwelcome here.” Garnet said. Ruby’s eyes softened almost immediately.

“No-no, I’m not, I’m not saying that-“

“You’re never unwelcome here, Garnet, we’re just worried for your mental health.” Sapphire tried to explain. Garnet snorted, kicking at the clothes.

“Really now? And when was the last time you two made the attempt to call or visit _me_?” Garnet snapped, finally turning to face her mothers. “If you were so concerned, wouldn’t _you_ make the effort?!” Her voice ascended into a shout and her eyes adopted a wild look in them.

“Wha-? We tried calling you dozens of times! You never answer!” Ruby threw right back. Sapphire tugged on her wife’s arm.

“Ruby.” Sapphire said cautiously.

“And what about that talk we had, mum?! Don’t you remember that?” Garnet continued, taking a step forward towards her mother, fists clenched at her sides.

“What talk? I just said you never call us!”

“The one we had when you came over, I told you everything! Why don’t you believe me now?” Garnet said, exasperated.

“The last time we visited you was months ago! We hadn’t had a talk before then, Garnet.” Ruby said. Garnet’s face fell.

_So it was a hallucination._

“We should all calm down now,” Sapphire interjected, clasping her hands in front of her. “Yelling at each other will get us nowhere. Let’s go inside, it’s raining.” She turned around and headed back into the house. Ruby watched after her for a moment, before turning back to Garnet.

“Look, something is up with you and I want to know what.” Ruby crossed her arms as she spoke.

“I already told you. It’s funny how my hallucination of you was more understanding than you are now.” Garnet growled.

“Excuse me?!”

“Garnet, Ruby; back inside. Now.” Sapphire’s voice called out from the house. The two women shot each other a look, before heading back into the house.

* * *

 

“Okay, so can you repeat that again? Like, all of it.” Ruby said. Garnet grimaced, tracing the bite mark on her wrist with a finger.

“As far as I can remember, I was working at my old night job, there was some problem out on the parking lot, I went to assist, I was bitten by a werewolf and another guard was killed-which may or may not have been my doing, I recently discovered- I started having hallucinations of the guard where he warned me about what I would become, and I also had a hallucination of you, mum, where I told you everything that happened to me.” Garnet gripped her wrist tightly. “I-I was stupid, and I dismissed it all until the full moon. I found out the hard way it was true.” She finished. Her mothers were silent.

“And… what you said about those people?” Sapphire asked slowly.

“Also true, unfortunately.” Garnet murmured. Her mothers looked at each other, before turning their gazes back towards their daughter.

“Oh, honey.” Ruby made a move towards her, but Garnet shuffled away towards the end of the couch.

“No, I don’t deserve pity,” Garnet said through gritted teeth. “Don’t act like I do.” She looked back towards her mothers.

“I appreciate your… understanding of my situation. But I _killed_ people, mums. Acknowledge that, at least.”

“But you said that you weren’t in control when you did it. You can’t blame yourself entirely for it. “Sapphire said.

“But I could have prevented what happened at the theatre, had I listened.” Garnet protested.

“You can’t blame yourself for that either. You said it yourself; you thought the whole thing was insane. If I were you, I would have gone anyway as well.” Ruby said. Garnet frowned and averted her eyes to the floor, scratching the back of her neck.

“You’re still being too calm about this, I expected… I don’t know… horror or disgust or-“

“It because we love you and shunning you would get us nowhere.” Sapphire interrupted her. “We want to help you through this.” Garnet’s frown deepened.

“As crazy as it sounds to us, we do believe you.” Ruby said. Garnet snorted.

“Just earlier you accused me of lying.” She muttered.

“Well, in my defense, you did storm in here reeking of death and wet dog, and you did drink my whiskey.” Ruby said. Garnet brought her arm up to her nose, sniffing it.

“And you set your clothes on fire.” Sapphire added.

“It was sort of hard to believe what you were saying was the truth when you make an impression like that.” Ruby finished. “But despite that, know that we are here for you. And that we want to help.” Ruby added. Sapphire nodded in agreement, and Garnet found herself geniunely smiling, for the first time since she woke up. It was like a large ten ton weight was lifted from her shoulders.

**_How do you know they aren’t lying to you?_ **

Her smile dropped, and the weights returned.

**_Do you really think they believe your insanity? They pity you, they think you’re nuts._ **

_That’s not true._

**_They’ll abandon you, just like Pearl did._ **

_She didn’t abandon me!_

**_Oh, but she did, she abandoned you when you needed her most. She doesn’t care about you._ **

_Shut up._

**_No one cares about you, not like I do._ **

Garnet scoffed.

_Nothing you say will get me to believe that notion._

**_Think; didn’t I help you by getting you to Keystone? Or by warning you about the theatre? Or-_ **

_Shut the fuck up!_

“Hello, Garnet?” A hand waved in front of her face, and Garnet instinctively slapped it away.

“Ow! Hey!” Ruby rubbed her hand, pouting. “We lost you there for a second.”

“S-Sorry, I was just… thinking. It’s nothing.” Garnet lied. Her mothers glanced at one another, both exchanging a look that screamed suspicion. They looked back at her neutrally. 

“Well, you should probably go wash up. As I said before, you do reek.” Ruby let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. “Your mother and I have some stuff to discuss.” She shot another glance towards her wife, who didn't return it. Garnet nodded slowly, standing up from her spot on the couch. She glanced between the two women, before heading towards the bathroom.

_They believe me… right?_

**_Of course not._ **

Garnet bit into her lip as she opened the door of the bathroom.

* * *

 

“And remember to call us to let us know how you’re doing! And don’t forget to visit often! An-and don’t forget to-“ Ruby’s various reminders were cut off by Sapphire rolling up the window, though Garnet’s sensitive hearing was still able to pick up her muffled voice telling her to take care of herself. A small smile graced her lips as she waved, walking up the driveway of her house. Her mothers drove off, and her smile fell into a deep frown. She reached under the mat and pulled out the key, shoving it into the lock.

She paused. There was an odd odor, one she couldn’t identify, emitting from the house.

On high alert, she unlocked the door slowly, stepping in and glancing about. Everything was where it should be, but the odor was stronger, and there was a faint sound of a heartbeat.

_Someone’s here._

Involuntarily, she let out a warning growl, eyes shooting around the room. Where were they?

“Took you long enough!” Garnet whirled around towards the source of the voice. Something obscured her vision; a bag. She yelped and immediately began to thrash, swiping at the air behind her with her claws and kicking her legs back towards the assailant. The bag was pulled tight around her head and throat, choking her.

“Sorry, I’m going to have to knock you out for a couple of seconds. This might hurt!” Something crashed against the side of her head, and Garnet was out like a light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -This story was only outlined with a basic, one-sentence idea. The rest of an outlining is done with a questionnaire of sorts (ex."Why does this happen?" [answer]). This is far different from the extensive chapter-by-chapter scene-by-scene outlining I usually do, but so far its been a good experience *cough* *cough* except for writers block *cough*cough* :)
> 
> -While the title relates to the story and its contents, I actually came up with it because I only write for this story at night, usually around 10pm-4am.


	17. A Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet is brought in for a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early(?) chapter cause I got comic-con tomorrow

** A  ** ** Chat **

 

Garnet awoke in what felt like hours later, but in reality it was a mere fifteen seconds after the initial-knockout. Her head throbbed painfully, and the world around her was still dark. She shuffled around on the leather cushioning she was currently seated on, and instinctively inhaled, taking in the same odd scent she had smelled before she was attacked.

“Hey, did it just move?” A voice said in front of her.

“Yeah, I think she’s waking up.” Said another right next to her.

“Well, knock it out!” The 1st voice said. Garnet shuffled again, letting out a small groan as her head pounded in protest of the movements. She could feel new flesh seal over a cut on her temple

“Why wasn’t she out for longer?” The second voice said. She moved her head over to their direction.

“What? This isn’t like the movies. You can't knock someone out for an hour!” The first voice argued.

“Well, it seems pretty unnecessary to keep knocking her out everything time she wakes up. I mean, the trips an hour long-“

“So? A little brain swelling never killed anyone.”

“But-“The second voice tried to protest.

“No buts! Knock the damn thing out again.” The first voice commanded. Garnet wanted to grumble out a protest, but her mouth refused to work. Something hard smacked into the side of her head, and she blacked-out.

She awoke once more, and lolled her head back onto the seat. She could hear the steady thrum of a vehicle, and smell gasoline and smoke.

“I think she’s awake.” The second voice said. Garnet grunted as she tried to distinguish it, but she couldn’t quite identify the person it belonged to.

“Then knock _it_ out again.” The first voice replied. She deduced that the first voice was the driver, and the second was sitting next to her, judging by how loud their voices were and how strong their scents were.

“I don’t think that’s good for her.”

“So? It’s got superhealing. It can handle a little brain damage. Do what I say or I’ll report you to boss.” She heard the second person’s heart rate spike, and them shifting in their seat. She heard a rustling noise from a bag at her side. Garnet tried to move away.

“Sorry, puppy.”  The hard object smashed into her head again.

She awoke once more, groggy and disoriented and absolutely _livid._ She was in her right mind enough, however, to stay still, as to not alert her assailants that she was awake again. Still, she was struggling to keep her rage in check as her body slowly began to heal the cut on her temple and the head trauma.

“She, uh, she was supposed to wake up right about now.” She heard the second person say nervously after a few minutes of silence. The driver grunted.

“So?”

“Does that mean she’s-”

“Stars dammit! It's an _It,_ not a she! It probably died.” The driver yelled, hurting her sensitive ears

“Bu-but we were supposed to bring her back alive.” The second person said. She heard the sound of a head smacking on an object.

“You idiot, it's still breathing.” Garnet made a mental note to slow her breathing as to not give away her conscious state. The two attackers stayed quiet for the next few minutes, leaving Garnet to stew in her own rage and confusion. She moved her head a bit upwards, out of the uncomfortable position it was in before.

“She's awake.” The second person said, sounding quite relieved. She mentally cursed at herself for moving. Garnet heard the driver breath out heavily through their nose.

“Then just put the wolfsbane collar on them and ignore it.” Wolfsbane? She shifted again into a sitting position. She heard the person beside her move around, and something cold and odd smelling clamped around her neck. Garnet stiffened, a sudden wave of anxiety washing over her. She waited with bated breath as the effects began to take place.

She expected some sort of burning or immense pain to start, but instead she felt lethargic, sick to her stomach, and the healing of her cut completely stopped. Garnet let out a moan and shifted to lie down on her side in an attempt to soothe her nausea. She heard a chuckle from the driver.

“Not so tough now, huh?” Garnet only weakly growled in response.

* * *

 

She was being taken somewhere. The vehicle had stopped moving, and the two attackers had drug her out of the car and onto pavement

“Get up, mutt.” Garnet tried to force her legs to move, but her energy was almost completely sapped from her.

“She’s being drugged, I don't think she can-”

“Stars, can you just shut up? I'll make it move.” Two large hands clasped around her shoulders and pulled her to her feet. She was pushed forward, but Garnet's legs collapsed from under her almost immediately.

“Come on, use your legs, mutt.” The first person said. Garnet growled lowly and tried to move her legs again, but to no avail. She heard a huff from the person as they picked her back up by the shoulders.

“Carry it.” She was thrown forward into someone else’s arms and was quickly hefted up and thrown over a broad shoulder.

“Sorry, puppy, it might be a bit bumpy.” Garnet couldn’t decide which nickname she hated the most:’mutt’ or ‘puppy’. The person holding her began to walk, each step sending waves of nausea throughout her stomach. She began to gag as her stomach flipped for the tenth time.

“Agh! Don’t yak all over the place! Stop bouncing her!” The first person yelled. The bouncing stopped; Garnet buried her face into the carrier’s back, trying to stop her head from swimming and trying to ignore how absolutely _demeaning_ this was.

“Poor girl. Did we have to put the collar on her?” She heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

“ _Ow!”_

“You're too damn sympathetic; I don't know why boss keeps you around.”

Garnet was carried for a few more minutes, before being set down on a cold ground. She tried to inhale in order to get a sense of where she was, but everything was odorless, and the only clear sounds were the footsteps of her captors. Garnet’s skin crawled as she heard one of her attackers walk behind her, and she instinctively growled and whipped her head in the direction of the noise. The captor chuckled lowly, before pulling her hands behind her back and untying them, and then immediately retying them to a pole.

“Take the collar off.” Hands clamped around her neck and pulled the collar off; Garnet gasped in relief as the anxiety, nausea, and lethargy faded. Her cut began to heal again, and she was suddenly being blasted with scents and noises, sending her mind reeling. A metal door creaked, before slamming shut. She was alone.

Breathing heavily, the rage returned and Garnet let out a loud snarl as she stood up from the cold concrete and began to pull at her bounds.

“Release _me!”_ Fangs lengthened and eyes yellowed. She curled her fingers, attempting to cut at the ropes with her claws. Realizing it was futile; she let out an aggravated roar and began tugging harder and vigorously shaking her head, trying to get the bag off.

“So violent.” Garnet paused, panting heavily. She didn’t even hear someone come in.  She let out a growl as she heard footsteps draw closer. The bag was pulled from her head, and Garnet immediately shut her eyes with a whine as light from the fixture above her flooded her vision.

“Open your eyes.” She recognized that voice. She hesitantly opened them.

“I heard you were looking for me.” Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.

“ _M-Miss Blue.”_ The corner of her lips twitched at the name.

“You will refer to me as ‘Blue Diamond’ for the duration of your stay here.” She said, voice steady and calm, and brown eyes narrowed at her. Garnet tried to speak, but her shock hadn’t worn off.

“I wonder: What was your plan? What were you going to do to me once you found me?” Blue Diamond mused to herself. A hand moved forward and grasped at Garnet’s jaw, forcing her mouth to open wider. She was looking at her fangs with mild interest.

“Kill me, perhaps?” She continued, pressing finger down on the tip of Garnet’s canine. Garnet tasted blood. Blue Diamond let go of the other woman’s mouth and examined her finger, and Garnet found her voice.

“ _Why the fuck_ _a_ m I here?”  Her voice cracked as it changed its octave.

“That’s your first question?” Blue Diamond raised a neatly-trimmed eyebrow, not looking up at her. Garnet grunted and pulled at her bindings.

“Answer me.” She growled. Blue Diamond looked bored.

“You’re here because I wanted you here. Simple as that.” She responded. She began to circle her, examining every inch of her body. She reached out and grabbed Garnet’s hands, thumbing at her claws. Garnet tried to pull away, but to no avail.

“So bestial. I see you have no care for your outward appearance.” She let go of her hands and drew closer to her face, smoothing a hand over her cheek and towards her ear. She felt it, tracing its pointed shape and inadvertently tickling Garnet to the point where she cringed her neck. Blue drew her hand away, but slowly it moved back toward towards the werewolf’s face once more. Eyes flashing dangerously, Garnet snarled and snapped at her hand, but Blue Diamond was faster and drew away.

“Don’t do that.” She simply said, and for some reason Garnet felt inclined to listen. Blue Diamond seemed to be examining her eyes, as she hadn’t broke contact with them.

“It wasn’t supposed to be you.” Blue Diamond muttered. Garnet huffed, eyebrows raising.

“What?”

“It was supposed to be the other one; he was the one I chosen.” She began circling again, and Garnet caught whiff of her scent. It was strong, musky, and _familiar_.

“Strong, loyal, and willing; the rogue was going after him. You were… an unforeseen circumstance.” She continued, pulling back Garnet’s sleeve and rubbing her arm, feeling the coarse fur and the scar of her bite mark. Garnet craned her neck back, gazing at her arm and the hand rubbing it.

“You knew.” Garnet said. A small smile graced Blue Diamonds lips.

“I don't blame the rogue for running. What with a mistake like the one he made.”

_He._

It began to come back to her. The man in the forest, his transformation, her shooting him and him attacking the guard, and the initial bite and her passing out. Something was still missing, though.

“He killed him.” Garnet murmured. She pulled at her bindings again, head down as she processed the fragmented memories.

“ _You_ killed him. All the rogue did was… incapacitate him, but still he lived. You delivered the final blow.” The other woman corrected her. She let go of her arm and moved her hands back to her face, moving her head up and forcing Garnet to look her in the eyes.

“Gold. Strange color.” Garnet tried to pull away from her grasp.

“Why am I here?!” She snarled, repeating her question. Blue Diamond smiled again.

“I wanted to talk to you. Our little chat back at my ‘company’ didn't go too well.” She said. Garnet cracked a malicious grin.

“Yeah, I choked you out. You were afraid of me.” She had become quite fond of the memory as the months went by.

“Any sensible Lycan would be afraid of an alpha,especially since my nerves were already quite high after hearing of the rogue’s ‘mistake’”. But you've proven yourself to be a fool so far; the fear is long gone.” Blue Diamond explained. Garnet’s eyes widened.

“Lycan?”

“Yes, lycan.” Warm brown eyes shifted into glowing blue eyes, and circular pupils formed into odd diamond-shaped ones. “I thought the scent would give it away.” The familiarity of her scent made sense now. Garnet stood there slack-jawed, in utter shock.

“But, ho-how? You don't even-”

“Look the part?.” She smirked again, and Garnet wanted nothing more than to smack it off her face. “We got off topic; I brought you here to give you a… piece of advice.”  

“Advice?” Garnet spat.

“You’ve brought a lot of attention on yourself. A serial killer in the quiet town of Beach city-”

“They ruled those murders animal maulings.” Garnet growled. Blue Diamond shook her head.

“Not anymore, they began to suspect foul play once the same unknown DNA showed up at all the crime scenes. My point is, you’re bringing a lot of attention on yourself, and that indirectly affects me.” Blue Diamond explained.

“From what I've been told, you already have someone ‘on your tail’.” Blue Diamond snorted, obviously pleased with herself.Garnet bared her fangs.

“You've been keeping tabs on me.” She said. Blue Diamond nodded.

“Can't let my little alpha run amok.” Blue Diamond said with a smirk.

“ _Your_ Alpha?”

“Yes. Mine.” Blue Diamond stepped closer to her, until they were inches away from each other. A warm hand moved up to cradle Garnet’s cheek. “My little mistake.” She drew away.

“My advice is simple: join me. I can take care of that ‘Jasper problem’ of yours, and I can help you learn how to control yourself.” Garnet snorted

“What's the point in that? It'll take over soon anyway.”

“You’d be surprised.” Was Blue Diamond's cryptic answer. Garnet gave it a moment of thought.

“And if I refuse this… ‘advice’?”

“Then you die. You’re not leaving here, you already brought too much attention. You're a risk to me.” The older woman narrowed her eyes as she spoke. Garnet clamped her mouth shut as best as she could with her fangs in the way.

“Will I be able to meet the rogue?” Blue Diamond laughed at her question.

“No, he ran like the coward he was. Even if he didn't, why would I let you meet him? I know what your plans are for him.” She said. Garnet bared her teeth to her again.  

“I'll leave you to think about your decision. I expect an answer by tomorrow night.Consider everything, and know that you will utterly alone without me.” With that, she turned and walked towards a metal door, opening it and walking out into a dark corridor. The door clanged loudly as it shut. Garnet let out a relieved sigh.

**_I don't trust her_ **

_That's something we can agree on._

**_We need to get out of here._ **

Garnet began pulling out her bounds again, flexing her arms outwards as best as she could.

**_Not like that._ **

_What? Don't I have super strength?_

**_Yes, but unless you want to dislocate your shoulder like a damn idiot, you can't break out that way._ **

Garnet stopped pulling.

_Then what's your suggestion?_

**_Wait._ **

_For what?_

**_An opportunity._ **

Garnet frowned as she stared ahead at the metal door. Flexing her fingers, she let out a deep breath, relaxing. Her fangs receded and her eyes faded back to blue and brown. She slid down the pole, taking a seat on the cold concrete floor.

The lighting fixture flickered above her, before going out completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Facts-  
> -When I get stuck on a scene on this story, I write out the absolute worst/most ridiculous outcome possible. This usually allows me to see what direction to instead go and how to avoid what could have happened. [a recent example would be the talk Pearl and Garnet had on chapter 15. Instead of the chat going relatively well, Garnet lost her shit and attacked Pearl. Two different outcomes for the same scene while using the same conflict /Pearl not giving Garnet the address/]  
> -While I originally imagined the inner beast’s voice to sound exactly like Garnet’s except deeper, a friend of mine that was reading the story said that they imagined to voice to sound like Bill Cipher, so now that's all I hear when I write the inner beast’s voice.


	18. Obey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet makes her decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on vacation next week, but I'll try to keep weekly updates. The only thing I'll warn about is that the formatting might be weird since most of my writing will have to be done on my phone.

** Obey **

**Pathetic.**

Garnet didn't glance up at the mangled man in front of her. She kept her eyes to the ground

**Can you even say you’re sorry?**

Garnet stayed silent

**Can you look me in the eye and say ‘I'm sorry?”**

The man tilted his head to the side to try to meet Garnet’s gaze.

**Can you say it to my wife?**

Garnet tilted her head to the side, glancing at the woman standing in the darkest corner of the empty concrete room, holding a sickeningly- gory bundle of blankets in her torn arms.

**To my child?**

Garnet grimaced and looked away, before turning her gaze up to the man.

“No.” The man’s eyebrows furrowed.

**Do you want to?**

“Leave me alone.” Garnet pulled at her bounds and shuffled around so she was facing away from the man.

**Do you want to?**

He repeated.

“No.” Garnet growled out. The man hummed.

**Would you say it if it was someone you cared about?**

Garnet snapped her head back to look at him with her teeth bared, her eyes holding a glint of gold in them.

“ _Yes!”_ Her voice changed its octave. The corner of man’s lips pulled down.

**Who?**

Silence. Garnet turned away again.

**Who would you say it to?**

“ _Why can't you just be like the other ones and just yell at me for a little while and go away?”_ Garnet muttered to herself, bringing her knees up closer to her body. The man breathed out.

**Because I pity you.**

Garnet breathed in heavily through her nose and released it out through her mouth, the glint of gold fading from her eyes.

“I don't deserve pity.”

**No, you don't.**

She snorted and shuffled around the pole until she was facing the opposite wall; the man followed her until he was back in her gaze.

**2 more. Maybe 5 if you are lucky.**

He disappeared. Garnet glanced over to the woman and child, expecting the woman to chime in finally. She stared at her, pale green eyes glazed over, before walking towards her with her arms outstretched, holding the blankets out to Garnet. Garnet looked at them, face contorting into a distressed expression. The woman pinched the top of the blankets and drew her other hand back. The blankets lost their shape. Her eyes widened slightly.

“There’s… nothing there.”

**You left nothing.**

She disappeared and the blanket drifted onto the concrete floor, reeking of blood and salt. Garnet stared down at it. She tried to feel something.

Nothing.

She looked down at the floor beneath her feet.

_2 more?_

The light above her flickered on, hurting her eyes as they rapidly tried to adjust to the brightness. She heard scraping against the concrete floor as the door opened.

“Face me.” Said a feminine voice with an accent similar to her own. Garnet scooted around the pole until she faced a very short woman with a bob haircut standing at the door.

“Blue Diamond sent me to make sure you are behaving.” She said. Garnet snorted and pulled at her bindings, making an obnoxious clanging noise on the metal pole.

“I’m tied up. Can’t really do anything.” Garnet said.

“Well, you've been talking to yourself like a loon for the last few hours.” The woman shut the door and stepped closer to Garnet. “How do we know you're not planning anything?”

“I'm not.” Garnet said bluntly. She leaned back onto the pole. The woman frowned and rolled her eyes.

“You will refer to me as ‘Aquamarine.’ One of Blue Diamond’s best.” A smug look crossed her face as she spoke.

“Aquamarine?” Garnet cracked a small smile. “Which one of your parents named you that?” Aquamarine narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose.

“Which one of _your_ parents called you ‘Garnet’?” She sneered. Garnet shrugged and closed her eyes, and Aquamarine seemed irritated by her lack of an answer.

“You mutts are unbearable. I can't believe _I_ was assigned to babysit.” She began to pace around Garnet, scrutinizing her.

“Blue Diamond is also unbearable?” Garnet said with a hint of boredom. Aquamarine scoffed.

“Of course not; Blue Diamond is pure, unlike you. She didn't need to be bitten to become a Lycan.

“She fell under a spell?” Garnet feigned shock. The shorter woman stammered a little, before furrowing her eyebrows.

“No! She was born this way you dunce!” Aquamarine insulted her. Garnet craned her neck behind her, looking at the other woman.

“And you?”

“Pure!” Pride was practically dripping off her tone. Garnet found a small smirk making its way to her face.

“Alpha?” The slight falter on Aquamarine’s expression immensely satisfied Garnet.

“Th-That doesn't matter to you!” She stuttered, before recollecting herself in one short moment. “Keep silent and make my job easy.” Garnet rolled her eyes but otherwise obeyed the other Lycan. Aquamarine nodded curtly and resumed her examination.

“How could someone like you be an Alpha? Of all the Lycans in Blue Diamond’s Pack, it had to be you.”

“I'm not a part of her pack.” Garnet interjected, but Aquamarine ignored her.

“Not even pure; how does that work?” Aquamarine stopped in front of her and bent down, squinting at her with a hand on her chin, “Why did Blue Diamond even want the other one turned in the first place?”

“Are you going to keep asking me questions I cannot answer?” Garnet said. Aquamarine drew back with an annoyed look.

“Do I need to get the wolfsbane?” She reached upwards into her hair and towards the bow that rested on top of it. She pulled out a small vial that was wrapped in one of the ribbons. Aquamarine began shaking the vial in front of the other werewolf’s face. “Do I?” She repeated. Garnet glared darkly at her.

“No? Good.” She put the vial back into place and adjusted her bow. “Behave, mutt.”

**_When we figure out a way to get out of this mess, she'll be the first one we kill._ **

The beast said. Garnet couldn't help but agree.

* * *

 

Hours passed, and still Aquamarine hovered around her like an annoying mosquito. Every time Garnet would move to adjust herself, she was met with a glare from the other Lycan.

“Would you stop squirming, mutt?!” She finally snapped at her. Garnet frowned and scooted back.

“You try being comfortable sitting on this concrete.”

“You have legs, you can stand.” Aquamarine huffed. Garnet started to stand, and the other woman watched her fumble around with her bindings with an amused expression on her face. Standing fully, Garnet realized just how much she towered over the other Lycan.

_At least four foot eight._

Garnet furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes roamed over Aquamarine’s body.

“I know what you’re thinking and it's utterly moronic that you think height will give you an advantage over me.” Aquamarine said with a smirk. Garnet stared at her, locking eyes with her for the first time since she came in. Aquamarine shifted her weight from one foot to another, before averting her eyes down to the floor.

“Don't try anything stupid.” She muttered, beginning to pace around the room. Garnet contemplated something. She began to move around the pole, following Aquamarine.

“Look at me.” Garnet said, voice clear and stern. The other Lycan stopped dead in her tracks; she gritted her teeth and clenched her gloved hands tightly at her side, eyebrows furrowing. She resumed her pacing once more.

“Aquamarine.” Garnet tried again. Aquamarine winced and her cheek twitched rapidly.

“Stop it” she muttered. Garnet forced back a grin.

“Look at me Aquamarine, now.” Her voice was filled with authority, and Aquamarine couldn’t resist the order any longer. She looked over to Garnet. The corner of Garnet’s lips quirked upward. She wanted to try another theory.

“Maybe you should come closer. I can't hear you.” Garnet suggested. Aquamarine fiddled with her fingers.

“You can hear me just fine.” She said through clenched teeth. Garnet shook her head.

“I really can't. Maybe you should come closer.” Garnet tried again. There was a visible struggle within the other werewolf; she was muttering to herself under her breath, seemingly rambling from what little Garnet could hear of it. Aquamarine stepped closer towards her and the pole, until they were a foot away from each other. She looked livid.

“You better knock it off right now!” She seethed.

“Your rank.” Garnet took on the authoritative tone from before.

“Beta.” Aquamarine said without hesitation, and she clamped her mouth shut almost immediately after the words were out. She bared her teeth at Garnet and emitted a low growl.

“I'm warning you, mutt.” Garnet bared her own teeth as well on instinct and snarled; Aquamarine drew back and averted her gaze again. She placed a gloved hand into her bow and pulled out the vial. She looked back at Garnet with a cruel smirk.

“I warned you.” She pulled the cap off the vial.

“Don’t” Garnet said. Aquamarine hesitated. She shook her head rapidly.

“You think you’re clever, mutt?” She tapped on the bottom of the vial, sending out a few leaves of wolfsbane on her gloved hand. “This will set you straight.” She placed the cap on the vial and shoved it back into a knot on her bow. She crushed the leaves between her hands, reveling in the nervous expression Garnet wore.

“That’s enough, Aquamarine.” The Lycan froze, whirling around and spotting Blue Diamond standing at the front door. Blue Diamond took a step forward.

“You are _not_ , under any circumstances, to administer wolfsbane to my Alpha.” Blue Diamond nearly snarled. Aquamarine swallowed thickly.

“Dispose of it.” Aquamarine nodded her head vigorously, sparing one last glance at Garnet before hurrying off towards the door. Blue Diamond stepped aside, watching with narrowed eyes as Aquamarine left the room. The door shut and Blue Diamond faced Garnet again.

“I trust you’ve made your decision?” She said with a calm voice, not a hint of her earlier anger in her tone.

“I have concerns” Garnet said. Blue Diamond raised an eyebrow and urged her to continue with a gesture of her hand.

“Will I be able to go home?” Garnet asked.

“Not now, you haven't proved yourself to be trustworthy enough. Once loyalty is established, you can travel back with heavy supervision.” Blue Diamond explained.

“Why supervision?”

“Because you’ll never be completely loyal; you’re a Lycan.” Blue Diamond moved closer to her, reaching forward to press a hand against her cheek. “As much as I disdain it, it’s true.” Garnet tried to resist the urge to snap at her hand.

“If someone comes looking for me?” Garnet asked.

“You’ll warn them first. Next time, they'll be killed.” Blue Diamond said bluntly. Garnet’s eyes flashed with anger.

“What?!”

“If they cannot follow directions the first time, then they are hopeless and a threat. I hope you are convincing enough to them.” The taller woman pulled away and turned her back to Garnet. “I truly hate to have to kill anyone close to you.”

_That doesn't sound sincere at all._

Garnet bared her fangs at the older woman.

“Any other concerns?” She sounded bored. Garnet tugged at her bindings, wrists aching and fingers numb.

“Do I have to be tied up?” Blue Diamond looked back at her, seemingly deep in thought. She moved around the pole, standing behind her. The hairs on the back on Garnet’s neck raised as she placed her hands on her own.

“What's your decision?” She whispered close to her ear. Garnet tensed.

“I’ll…” she paused.

_Could I even handle being a part of her ‘Pack’ until I figure a way out?_

**_You doubt us too much._ **

_Can you blame me?_

Garnet swallowed heavily. Blue Diamond tapped her fingers against her hands.

**_We’ll be fine._ **

_Not too reassuring._

**_Make a decision_ **

“I’ll join.” Garnet finally said. Blue Diamond clasped her hands around her wrists and began to untie the ropes.

“My Alpha.” She murmured. The ropes fell to the floor. Garnet moved her hands close to her and rubbed at her marked wrists.

“Follow.” Blue Diamond strode to the door. Garnet moved after her without a second thought. Blue Diamond led her into the dark corridor and towards another door.

“Rare it is to have a turned Lycan be an Alpha.” Blue Diamond’s voice cut through the brief silence. Garnet frowned slightly.

“Aquamarine was ranting about this earlier.” Garnet responded. Blue Diamond smiled.

“Aquamarine… I see you’ve already figured out an ability of yours.”

“I talk, she listens.” Garnet said curtly.

“Instinct drives them to listen,” Blue Diamond looked back at her. “It won't work on Lycans with strong willpower, like me.” There was a silent warning in her words. Garnet nodded.

“Where are we going?”

“To test how willing you are to be my Alpha.” Blue Diamond said. Garnet stopped in her tracks; the other Lycan looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I already told you I would join.” Garnet started.

“And it’s one thing to say that you will join; it is other to show your willingness to join. Actions do speak louder than words.” She said, turning around to face Garnet fully. She crossed her arms. “I do hope you won’t have a problem with what I ask of you.” It was another silent warning. Garnet clenched her fist tightly, fighting back the urge to growl.

“Hopefully not.” She said. Blue Diamond seemed satisfied with her answer. She continued her quick stride. They stopped in front of a door. Blue Diamond reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. She pressed it into the lock.

“As my Alpha, I expect you to obey without question,” She turned the key “To do certain things for me when I ask you to.” She placed a hand on the doorknob and turned back to look at Garnet.

“Most of all, I expect you to kill for me.” She opened the door to the room, revealing inside someone bound by their hands and feet, face covered with a bloodied bag. Garnet’s eyes widened and she took a step back as if she had been struck.

“Wha-”

“I've seen how you act after you make a kill, how you _grieve_ for them. That stops now.” She stepped aside and beckoned Garnet in with a hand. “Go on. Show me your willingness to be my Alpha.” Garnet shook her head.

“Who… who are they?”

“That doesn't matter.” She narrowed her eyes into slits. “Do it.” The same unknown need to listen spread over her again, and her feet moved on their own accord towards the captive. The door shut behind her, and she glanced back to see Blue Diamond watching her with interest. She looked back at the captive.

“You do not have remorse, I know that. Why hesitate? Is it cowardice? Fear maybe?” Blue Diamond mused. Garnet didn't answer, staring down at the captive. They shuffled a bit and whimpered. She tried inhaling to get their scent, but it was masked with the smell of wolfsbane. She stepped forward, but paused.

“More hesitation? Maybe going out of my way to kidnap you was a waste of my time after all. Let’s put it this way, Garnet: it’s either them or you.” Blue Diamond’s tone became threatening.

_Maybe it should be me… one less monster in the world…_

Garnet grimaced as she took in a deep breath, preparing to turn to the other woman and refuse. Something clicked inside of her mind at the last moment.  She squatted down and reached a hand out instead, hovering over the person’s throat.

_I'm sorry_.

She clamped her hand around it and dug her claws in. The person began to scream.

_I'm sorry_.

She placed her hand on their head, holding it still while she dug into the wounds with the other hand, tearing them wide open and allowing her to push her fingers inside. The person began to thrash.

_I'm sorry!_

The sound of muffled screams and flesh ripping filled the air. Blood began to spurt out from the neck wound-- she must have hit an artery.

_I’M SORRY!_

Garnet pulled her hand back, and the person began to gurgle as what remained of their throat was torn out. Garnet looked at her hand, coated with blood and gore and stinking of copper. She tried to feel something while staring at it. She felt...

Satisfied.

“Excellent!” Blue Diamond said cheerfully. She stepped forward towards the person and looked down at them as they thrashed and gargled. “They were one of those humans that survived an encounter. We couldn't go along having them tell all their friends.” Garnet didn't say anything, still staring down at her hand.

“This will be one of your jobs; hunting down certain targets for me. But not now, you haven't earned the privilege to go outside yet. For now on it will be testing.” She clasped a hand on Garnet’s shoulder. “I'll give you a moment. I’ll be waiting outside.” She stepped away. Garnet heard the door open and close. She weakly raised her head up. Standing in the corner of the room was the person she had just killed, still wearing a bag over their heads; they were faceless.

**It’ll only go downhill from here.**

Garnet nodded weakly.

“Because she’ll make me do worse?” She murmured.

**No. Because you liked what you just did.**

They disappeared. She looked down at the body. Her stomach growled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -This story was actually entirely written before, only it was for my eyes only. After I decided to make this a story on the archive, I only loosely based it off of of the prewritten version.


	19. Breaking Her Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Diamond puts Garnet through another test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's finally back!

** Breaking Her Down **

“Have you had your moment?” Blue diamond asked Garnet as she stepped out of the room. Her eyes were downcast, looking at her bloodied hand. “We still have tests to do.” Garnet didn't respond. Blue Diamond hummed and turned away from her, starting down the grey corridor.

“You grieved again, didn't you?” Her voice was sharp, facial features twitching into a snarl. “No Lycan stays next to a kill that long without eating it.” There was a stutter in her step, as if she wanted to stop to look at her but decided against it. Garnet took in a deep breath through her nose, wincing as the stench of blood wafted into her nostrils.

“I did.” What was the use in lying anymore?

“We’ll work on that.” Was Blue Diamond's simple response. She stopped again, this time in front of a large, reinforced door. “For now, we focus on this test.” She unbarred the metal door, before reaching into her pocket to take out a red key. She shoved it into the lock and turned it, opening the door. Stepping aside she gestured for Garnet to go in first.

It was empty, and cold. Garnet glanced about the room as she stepped in. Each wall was made of steel, including the floor beneath her feet. The door shut behind her.

“There's nothing in here.”

“Great observation.” Blue Diamond’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. Garnet breathed out heavily, clenching her fists.

“Just tell me what test I have to take.” Garnet breathed out, forcing herself to calm down.

“I want you to change.”

“What?” Garnet looked at her with wide eyes.

“I want to see you change. You know how to change outside of the full moon, correct?” She took the smaller werewolf’s silence as a ‘no’. Blue Diamond let out a sigh as she rubbed at her temples.

“This will take longer then. Do you at least know how to change back?” She was met with an uncomfortable expression and a quick shake of the head. The other lycan rolled her eyes.

“You already know I don’t know how to control myself-“

“Yes, but I at least expected you to try and learn how to control when you can change.”

“Well, I didn’t.”

“Then we shall change that.” Blue Diamond let out another aggravated sigh. She would have to do this the hard way. “Step into the center of the room.” Garnet did as she was told. Blue Diamond moved with her, standing uncomfortably close to the other Lycan.

“Good girl.” She swung a fist at her face, connecting with Garnet’s nose and sending her sprawling to the floor. Blue Diamond wasted no time stepping close to her and delivering a swift kick to the stunned lycan’s abdomen. Garnet let out a pained groan, holding her stomach with one hand and her bleeding nose with another. Blue Diamond kicked her again; face impassive as her foot connected to her cheek.

“Aren’t you going to fight back?” She taunted as the smaller lycan rolled over and tried to feebly crawl away. She bent down and grabbed her leg, flipping her over and planting her heel on her stomach, keeping her still. She stepped closer, before taking her heel off her stomach and instead stepping on her neck. “You had no problem hurting me back at my company.” She watched as Garnet struggled, cheek swollen from the kick. She gripped Blue Diamond’s ankle, choking as the other Lycan applied pressure as a result.

“I know you’re holding it back, I can see it in your eyes. It’s scratching under the surface, isn’t it? Let it out; show me what you are.” Garnet struggled under her heel, taking in gasping breaths as she clawed at her ankle. “We won’t get anywhere if you keep it in, Alpha.” With a strangled snarl, Garnet stopped her struggle and used her strength to throw Blue Diamond behind her. She heard her land with a thud and an ‘oof!’ Coughing, she sat up and held onto her bruising throat; it wasn’t healing.

“I’m not-“She couldn’t get the sentence out as Blue Diamond delivered a kick to her side, knocking whatever breath she had left out of her.

“I know it’s not. I grind wolfsbane under my boot for that reason exactly. I want to see you hurt.” She began a calm stride towards the smaller lycan. Garnet tried to get up, but her side throbbed immensely and she still couldn’t catch her breath. She heard a _shlink!_ as claws broke free from Blue Diamonds manicured nails. She swiped at the alpha’s shoulder, cutting along the scars of her old scratch marks. Pain like liquid fire erupted through her shoulder, and Garnet let out a cry of pain, smacking a hand over the open wounds.

“Stop holding it back. Make this easier for the both of us.” She dug her claws into her mid back and dragged them down her soft flesh, tearing bloody strips out of the old scars. Tears flooded Garnet’s eyes, and she let out a silent scream as the wounds burned. “Don’t cry, Lycan’s don’t cry over pain.” The older woman wrapped a hand around Garnet’s ankle and used her immense strength to throw her away towards a steel wall. She cracked her knuckles as Garnet hit the floor. Slowly, the smaller Lycan rolled over onto her hands and knees, coughing and whimpering. Blue Diamond started to walk towards her.

“You are quite tough, I must admit. Most of my pack passed out with the first few kicks when I tested them. Enhanced durability, one of the many abilities of an alpha.” She saw Garnet clench her fists out of the corner of her eyes and stopped her stride. She watched with anticipation. Slowly, Garnet got up, wiping the tears away from her eyes. She glared at her, golden eyes glowing dimly in the room. With a roar, Garnet rushed at her.

Blue Diamond expected a swipe, but was taken by surprised when instead Garnet swooped low and wrapped her arms around her waist, lifting her up before throwing her down to the ground roughly. She was barely able to react before the pissed off Lycan straddled her and delivered a punch to her cheek and a swipe to her neck, cutting into the skin with her claws. The cut was hardly deep enough to puncture her windpipe, but it appeared that would soon change as Garnet clenched her hand around her throat with full intent to tear it out like she did to the man. Blue Diamond grinned, showing off her fangs.

“Finally!” There was a hint of madness in her tone as she planted her feet on Garnet’s stomach and kicked her off. “Now take it to next level! Let it out!” She got to her feet and stayed prone, waiting for the other lycan to get up and rush her first. Unexpectedly, Garnet stayed on the ground, panting.

“I don’t want to.” She slowly lifted herself up.

“You are fully content with trying to rip out my throat, but you don’t want to change?” Blue Diamond asked, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head. Garnet wrapped an arm around her stomach and groaned at the pain striking through it.

“It hurts too much.”

“You’re worried about the pain?! Now that’s laughable. You can never learn control if you don’t know to trigger transformations first.” Blue Diamond took a step towards her, scoffing when Garnet quickly took a step back.

“I don’t want to, Blue Diamond.”

“You’re my Alpha and you do what I say, your feelings cast aside _. Now do what I say_!” She rushed towards her and elbowed her cheek with enough force that a tooth broke free from her mouth and she heard a loud _crack!_ as her cheekbone was broken. Garnet hit the floor, coughing and spitting up blood.

“ _Stop…”_ Her voice had changed its octave. Good, but she needed more incentive. The older Lycan knelt down next to her alpha, grabbing her arm and lifting it up; Garnet did nothing to protest, only lying there and panting. Blue Diamond examined the bite mark on her wrist. She traced a claw over one of the indents of the scar, before sinking it in. Garnet let out a scream of pain and thrashed wildly.

“ _STOP! Please!”_ Garnet pleaded, trying to pull her arm from Blue Diamond’s tight grip.

“Lycan’s don’t beg.” Blue Diamond traced a claw to another indent before sinking it into the scar tissue again. Another choked scream. The older Lycan rolled her eyes as she traced her claw to the third indent. A hand roughly grasped her wrist, and she looked down to see Garnet staring up at her with pleading eyes. She was about to dig in her claw when Garnet choked and wriggled, arm wrapping around her abdomen as a telltale _crack!_ sounded from her spine. Blue Diamond let her arm go and stepped away, watching as the other Lycan writhed in pain.

“Finally. Now don’t fight it, it’ll hurt more.” She advised. Garnet groaned and rolled over onto her back, hands moving up to cover her eyes. She grunted and snapped her neck to the side, the bones popping.

“ _What did you-ack! - do to **me?”**_ Garnet managed to growl out, before letting out a yell and arching her back.

“Bouts of extreme emotion and feeling as though your life is in danger could potentially trigger a temporary transformation. The first step to learning control is to not fight the beast when you feel it taking over.” The older Lycan explained to her. “You may have lasted longer than my other Lycans, but you are less disciplined than them; learning control will take longer as a result. A downside to recruiting mutts, I suppose.” Blue Diamond looked on with a bored expression as the werewolf changed. After a few minutes, sounds of bones popping and clothes and muscles tearing stopped. The newly-formed werewolf stood up and shook out her fur, before glaring down at the other lycan with golden eyes concealed by hair. The beast bared her teeth and growled lowly.

“None of that, now.” She stepped forward and rapped the changed-Garnet on the nose, surprising her judging by how she reeled her head back. Blue Diamond kept eye contact with the werewolf. She obviously didn’t like that, as Garnet let out another growl and stood up on her hind legs, ears brushing the ceiling as she revealed her full height of nine foot seven. Blue Diamond was barely eye level with the beast’s stomach, despite her height of six foot five.

“Impressive,” She patted the beast’s belly and felt the fur. It was surprisingly soft. “There's no question that you're an Alpha. Not as tall as me though.” She still kept eye contact with the large werewolf as she dragged her hand up and down the beast’s belly. Garnet let out a low rumbling noise in response, before dropping down back on all fours. Blue Diamond thought she had become docile, but was proven wrong with the werewolf swiped a large paw at her, tearing into her chest. The other Lycan was unfazed, merely staring down at the wounds as they began to heal.

“Now that wasn’t nice.”

Garnet pulled her lips up and snarled. Blue Diamond rolled her eyes.

“Are you going to calm down or will I have to make you calm down?”

Garnet snarled again, almost as if she was responding to the question, but Blue Diamond could see the mindless rage in her golden eyes.

“I guess I’ll have to make you.” She shed her cloak from her shoulders and took in a deep breath, allowing the change to take place.

* * *

 

Garnet awoke to the sound of scrapping near her ear. She let out a whine and placed a hand on her ear, covering it. Her hand felt furry and the pads of her fingers and palm felt leathery. Still the scrapping continued. She forced her eyes to open. In front of her was Blue Diamond, naked and scrapping her claws against the flooring, grinding them down. Garnet tried to move away, but her entire body ached worse than it ever had before. She let out a pitiful whimper.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you as bad as I did” There was no sincerity in her tone. “But you wouldn’t listen to me in both forms. Sad that you reverted so soon; I wanted to take in more.” Blue Diamond smirked.

“You have curly fur, you know? It matches your hair— oddly endearing.” She tried to respond but all that came out were a series of growls and whimpers.

“Your vocal cords haven’t reverted back, I see. A side effect of shifting outside of a full moon; some things don’t change back all the way. You still have a tail.” As if on cue, she felt something furry brush against her leg, and she flicked her eyes down to catch sight of her tail. “And you still have hind legs. And I’m sure you noticed your hand is still a paw.” Garnet gargled, trying to emit words but failing.

“How long? I’d give it an hour for the vocal cords, 6 hours for the paw and hind legs, and a day for the tail—it is an extra appendage after all.” Blue Diamond informed her. Garnet tried to move again, but failed.

“If it makes you feel better, I haven’t had a fight like that since Yellow Diamond and I had a territory dispute. You did a number on me.” Garnet wanted to call bullshit, as she looked untouched.

“I’ll leave you to finish reverting. We will practice this test every week until you can change without being forced. Goodbye, my alpha.” Blue Diamond stood up and stretched, her spine popping. She walked towards the door.

“Oh, and we will continue the rest of your tests tomorrow. Be prepared.” Blue Diamond said as she opened the door. She stepped out, the door swinging closed behind her, leaving Garnet in the dim lighting of the room. The lycan tried to move again. She managed to move an inch before the pain became too great. She panted twice, before a whimper escaped her. Tears beaded at her eyes and streamed down her cheeks, wetting the ground below her.

Her body shook with racking sobs that sounded odd and gargled. She tried to move again, but with no luck. She felt helpless. She felt violated. And all she wanted to do was to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -The original version (the one for my eyes only) was a lot, lot more depressing and dealt with a lot of heavier topics. I changed this for sake of viewership, but I still prefer the original story line.


	20. Believe

** Believe **

****

Garnet awoke hours later, still aching, still tired, and still crying. She rubbed away the tears in her eyes and rolled over onto her back, looking up at the steel ceiling of the room. Her tail thumped against the ground rhythmically; she placed her foot on it. She lifted her hand up to the light, looking it over. It was still furry, and her claws gleamed in the light. She allowed her hand to drop to the ground, and slowly she began to apply pressure against the floor with her claws. She waited until she heard five snaps, before repeating the action with her other hand, all while keeping her haunted gaze on the ceiling.

**I feel bad for you.**

The guard stepped into her view, staring down at her with a solemn look in his hollow eyes. Garnet didn’t acknowledge him, scrapping what remained of her nails into the floor.

**I want to hate you, but you are like me.**

“A ghost of your former self?”

**A prisoner. I’m stuck here until you die or until you are cured. And you are prisoner to the beast and to Blue Diamond, a puppet for her to toy around with.**

He took a seat next to her.

**I wonder how different it would be if we switched roles that night; if the rogue attacked his intended mark.**

“I wish I died.”

**I know. I can hear your thoughts and feel your feelings, being bound to you and all.**

Garnet moved her head towards the man, eyes glazed over, mouth partially opened.

“I killed you that night, not the beast. Would you have done the same?” She asked him.

**I would, because it was mercy. I was still alive, but I wouldn’t live long enough to see an ambulance. I was in pain; you knew that. You crawled over to me, and I begged you not to let me die. You reached for my discarded gun and pressed it to my temple. You pulled the trigger, and I knew no more, expect for a sting of pain and relaxing ambience.**

He frowned as best as he could with his missing lips.

**But sometimes I wished you didn’t do it, that you let me die on my own so I wouldn’t be stuck in an endless limbo, forced to watch you slowly crumble.**

“I’m sorry.”

**I know.**

He turned towards her, tilting his head as he looked Garnet over.

**I came back for a reason.**

Garnet said nothing, staring up at the ceiling again.

**If I focus hard enough, I can interact with my environment.**

He touched her leg as an example, the contact feeling as real as though he were physically there.

**I want to grant you mercy.**

Garnet’s eyes widened.

**Your body can heal a lot of things, but it has limits when you are in human form. I can return the favor, but I need your permission without any hesitation or uncertainty.**

“Would it release everyone from the limbo?”

**It would. It would allow them to move on.**

Garnet’s eyebrows sloped, cheek twitching and lips moving without emitting sound. She would be free, the boiling rage and the crushing loneliness would be gone, and she could stop hurting people.

It wasn’t like anyone would miss her.

Pearl hated her without a doubt, her parents were more than likely terrified of her, and she pushed away the few friends she had. And it wasn’t like she would have a job anymore if she managed to untangle herself from this mess—or a house, now that she thought about it.

**You are still hesitant, though.**

The man chimed in. Garnet was confused for a moment, until she remembered that he could hear her thoughts.

“There is still some hope that I could, perhaps, fix this.” Garnet murmured. “Nothing would ever be the same though. What if it isn’t worth it?”

**Your questions show that you are uncertain; therefore I cannot grant you mercy.  My offer will be on the table until you are certain of what you want. Goodbye.**

“Wait!” She went to grasp for his hand, but her fingers only felt thin air. The guard looked down at her. She furrowed her eyebrows and took in a deep breath.

“No, I’m not uncertain. I don’t want mercy. I don’t deserve it, because this is who I am now. I want to fix things my way, and my way only. Keep your mercy, and stay out of my life.” Her old confidence had returned to her voice, not a single residue of uncertainty or hesitation. The guard nodded.

**Understandable. I will leave, but it will always be a-**

“Keep your mercy to yourself, I don’t want it. Go away.” Despite her rude wording, the man smiled a lipless smile. He stood up from the floor, before disappearing in a blink of an eye. Garnet glared up at the ceiling, before she forced herself to sit up with a groan. She rubbed her aching back.

“Dear stars, are you talking to yourself again?!” Remarked an accented voice as the door opened. Garnet glared back at Aquamarine, who was sneering at her. “There is no helping you, you’re crazy!” Garnet didn’t answer. Aquamarine scoffed.

“Blue Diamond is unavailable today, so I’m supposed to- Do you have a tail?!” The shorter woman was thrown off as she noticed the tail sitting under her leg.

“No commenting on the fact that I’m naked?”

“That’s not unusual. THAT is unusual!” She pointed a gloved finger towards the tail. “Blue Diamond put you through the 2nd test, eh?”

“Yes. Now finish your sentence from before.” Garnet ordered.

“-bring you to your quarters.” Aquamarine said without skipping a beat. Her eye twitched rapidly.  “If you don’t-“

“Get me clothes.” Garnet waved her off. Aquamarine turned on her heel and began to walk off to the door. She put a hand on the handle, before turning her head back to glare at her.

“Jokes on you, I was instructed to do that anyway.” She opened the door and left. Garnet lied back down, tucking her hands under her head. A minute later Aquamarine returned with a bundle of clothes in hand.

“Here, you dingy mutt.” She dropped them on the floor.

“Bring them to me.” The other Lycan beckoned her with a hand, a smirk playing on her lips.

“I am much shorter than you and you are sitting in a perfect position for me to shove these so far up your arse the shirt sleeve will stick out of your nostril; _Do. Not. Test. Me._ ” Aquamarine snapped as she took the clothes of the ground and brought them towards Garnet. She dropped them near her, and the other Lycan wasted no time pulling the garments on. They were surprisingly comfortable, and they fit quite well.

“Blue Diamond actually ordered one of our best members to go shopping for those. Can you believe it?! A Lycan going clothes shopping?” Aquamarine let out a nasally laugh that stung Garnet’s ears. The taller woman stood up and pulled on the tennis shoes given to her.

“I have my own room?” Garnet asked, though the question came off as more of a statement. Aquamarine scoffed.

“Yes, and disappointedly it’s not outside with a leaking roof and a mud covered floor. She actually gave you a bed, ugh.” 

“You didn’t scooch on my rug, did you?”

“You don’t have a rug,” Aquamarine waved off the question. She did a double-take. “Wait a minute, what did you just imply?! What kind of Lycan do you take me for?!”

“A lapdog.” Garnet said with a smirk. Aquamarine glared darkly at the other werewolf, baring her fangs. The other Lycan didn’t react. She took in a deep breath.

“I am under strict orders not to cause you any harm. So for now, I’ll have to be content with the fact Blue Diamond got to lay you out yesterday and will continue to do so until you become a functional Lycan.” Aquamarine said in a single breath, her eyes closed and hands splayed out. She opened her eyes again, and Garnet could see a glimmer of red in them.

“Let’s go to your room, shall we?” The smaller Lycan said through gritted teeth. She turned and headed towards the door; Garnet followed after her. They went out into the empty hallways of the building, walking forward before turning to the right.  More barren hallways, only this time without doors breaking the monotony of the halls.

“Is there anyone else here beside us?” Garnet asked. Aquamarine scoffed.

“Of course not; this is a training ground only.” She said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“So I’m stuck here alone until I’m trained?”

“Yes, a mutt like you would probably fight with the others as a show of petty dominance.” Aquamarine scoffed. “But you will be under Blue Diamond’s and my supervision. So don’t think about looking for an escape.” She shot her a knowing look. Garnet didn’t react.

“Just show me to my room.”

“We’re getting there, mutt.” The duo walked in silence afterwards, with Aquamarine keeping her eyes ahead and Garnet not taking her eyes off her, studying her. The shorter lycan stopped, and she halted before she could bump into her.

“This is it.” The door was reinforced like the other. Garnet repressed a growl.

_They really thought this one through, huh?_

Aquamarine opened the door. The room was barely large enough to fit ten people, and there was a twin-sized bed at the end wall.

“As a newbie, you will not have free-roam of the facility. You are instructed to stay here until either Blue Diamond or I order you out. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Aquamarine gave her a shove forward. “See you whenever.” The door shut behind her, leaving Garnet in darkness. Her vision adjusted quickly. Not dallying a moment, she went to feeling along the steel walls, searching for a dent or a weakness. Nothing. She searched the ceiling for a vent. Nothing. Secret hatch under the bed, perhaps? She checked.

Nothing.

A growl escaped her lips.

**_You really think they would leave an escape route in the room you will spend the most time in?_ **

**_“_** Oh great, so now you’re back?”

**_Never left._ **

Garnet let out a sigh as she sat on the bed. It felt like a wooden board.

“Did you enjoy the fight with Blue Diamond?” Her voice held sarcasm in it.

**_Not particularly._ **

“Yeah, killing babies is easier in comparison, isn’t it?” Garnet fell back on the bed, hands tucking under her head. “And you are supposed to be the big bad alpha.”

**_WE are the big bad alpha._ **

“I had no control in that fight. That was all you.” Silence filled her head. She smirked. “How do you feel about me learning how to control you, or finding my maker? You’ll be gone soon, you know that?”

**_I have a feeling I’ll take over first. You’ll succumb._ **

“No I won’t, I’m stronger than you.”

**_You were whining over the pain of turning into me a few hours ago._ **

The smirk dropped from Garnet’s face.

“I’ll find a way out of here, and I will be rid of you soon enough.”

**_What a performance! You almost convinced me that time!_ **

Garnet could practically hear a snarl in her head.

**_You’re weak. You’re pathetic. And most of all, we’re a lap dog to Blue Diamond because of your ineptness._ **

“I-“

**_You really think she would waste her time fetching a Mutt Alpha for the hell of it? A pure Alpha doesn’t take orders from anyone but themselves. She wanted something she could control._ **

“I know that already.”

**_She’s been watching us, studying how we act. She probably figured out from the start how useless we are without guidance. She wants a powerful puppet. She can’t have that with me around, so she wants to train it out of you, like how an owner trains aggressiveness out of a house dog._ **

Garnet didn’t respond, mulling over the beast’s words.

**_We have a better chance of escaping when we are inside this facility. Only watched by two people, one of which won’t even be here most of the time, and the other we can control. We are only here because you are being trained, and we will remain here until you are trained._ **

 “So what am I supposed to do?”

**_Don’t gain control over me. As long as I am around, we remain here._ **

“This sounds like a stupid ploy to keep me from getting rid of you.” Garnet growled out. She heard no more from the beast, however. With a sigh, she maneuvered herself so she was vertical on the bed. Climbing under the covers, she closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take over.

 

\--

 

The room was pitch black when she woke up, but she could still see the bright glow of blue eyes in the corner of her room.

Garnet blinked twice, wondering if it was a hallucination or a nightmare. She sat up, rubbing her aching back.

“My alpha.” Blue Diamond’s voice was low. “Have you recovered?” Garnet had to take a moment to think about the question.

“I suppose.” She heard Blue Diamond tap her fingers against the wall.

“Good… that means you are ready for your next test.” She purred. Garnet raised an eyebrow.

“Another?”

“Of course, we want to get these done soon, after all.” The older Lycan explained, drawing closer to her bedside. Garnet felt a cold hand graze over her arm, and she jumped and jerked away from the contact.

“Aren’t you coming?” Garnet grumbled something out unintelligibly. She just wanted to go back to sleep; she couldn’t remember the last time she slept without awaking from a nightmare.  She settled back down on the bed and turned over. The other Lycan sighed.

“You seem to believe you have a choice, Garnet.” A hand seized the back of her shirt collar, yanking her out of the coverings and to the steel floor. Garnet let out a groan as her back hit the ground painfully. Before she could recover, something cold and pungent-smelling clasped around her neck. Her groan turned into a weaker one.

“It’s a precaution that you have the wolfsbane collar on for this test. I wouldn’t want a… unnecessary lashing out.” Garnet didn’t answer, hands scratching and pulling uselessly at the collar. She could feel her energy drain out of her and her senses weaken from their normal heightened ones. Cold fingers slipped under her shirt and hooked around the cloth, pulling her up.

“Let’s go.”

Without her consent, she was dragged to the reinforced door and out into the hallway. Garnet stopped her useless struggle for only a moment, peering around the hallways curiously.

_Exit._

It was the only coherent word that ran around in her foggy mind. Her eyes drifted around the walls of the corridor, searching for any weaknesses in the steel or unsecured vents. Each time she thought she saw something that could be used for an escape; she was roughly dragged around a corner, making her lose sight of the potential exit. A growl escaped her lips, quickly interrupted by a weak cough.

“Behave.” Blue Diamond said. A door was opened, leading into a large room; maybe even the same room from the other test. She was dragged to the middle of the room, which had a chain attached to a latch in the ground. Setting her down, Blue Diamond set about hooking the chain onto her collar. “There.” She drew away from her, hands moving to her cloak and fetching something under it.

“Your next test is seeing how resistant you are”

“Resistant?” Garnet croaked out. Blue Diamond nodded, drawing out a knife from her cloak. She gripped it tightly in her hand. The other hand pulled out a stop watch.

“Let’s start.” She jabbed the knife into her abdomen, the blade slipping between her ribs and puncturing deep into her. A scream tore from Garnet’s lips as she slapped a hand over her injury, only for it to be pulled away by Blue Diamond. She heard the click of the stopwatch.

“1,2,3,4,5…” Blue Diamond’s voice trailed off as she looked at the bleeding wound. Her eyebrows furrowed. “I see you don’t have much of a natural resistant to wolfsbane.” Garnet grunted out something, sucking in air between her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. Her wound throbbed painfully.

“What is this… supposed to test?!” Garnet hissed out. She felt like this was just a way for the other lycan to torture her.

“Resistance to wolfsbane, I just said it a moment ago.”

“I thought you said it was a precaution?!”

“It works as that as well.” Blue Diamond said dismissively. She twirled the bloodied knife in her fingers. “A true alpha would still be able to heal injuries even when being exposed to wolfsbane.” She swung the knife at Garnet, the blade cutting a line through her clothing and into her chest. A weak gasp escaped from Garnet’s lips.

“It seems you have the resistant of an omega—which isn’t good, mind you.” Blue Diamond seemed to think to herself for a moment, before she stood up and walked behind Garnet. She felt a pulling at her collar, before feeling as though a weight was lifted off of it. Blue Diamond circled back around in front of her, a part of the collar in her hand. She chucked it away from them. Garnet could feel the fogginess leave and her senses return to her. She let a gasp, feeling the stabs beginning to heal.

“I guess this will bring us to our next test: How much you can take before you collapse.” Garnet blinked twice, looking up at the other lycan with wide eyes.

“I-I thought you tested that earlier? Wi-with forcing the transform-“A hand pressed up on her jaw, forcing her to close her mouth.

“I think this test is quite necessary.” A cruel smirk played on the other lycan’s lips. “You always want to know what your limits are. Makes it easier to surpass them.” The knife stuck into her stomach. Garnet yelped. Blue Diamond pulled it out, only to stab it back in an inch away from the original wound. Garnet couldn’t even make a sound before the knife was dragged out of her body and stabbed into her shoulder.

The wounds couldn’t heal properly from how quick they were being inflicted. Each time one wound healed, several more had already taken their place. Eventually, it seemed as though the healing of all the wounds slowed to a halt. She dropped down to the metal floor, letting out small rasps as her blood pooled around her, soaking into her clothes and staining her skin. Blue Diamond sheathed the knife back into her cloak. She clicked the stop watch.

“1,2,3,4,5…”

Garnet growled lowly, glaring at the other Lycan, who gave her a smirk.

“Your healing in general doesn’t seem to be up to par, either.”

Garnet grunted, inching along the cold floor away from the lycan.

Blue Diamond rolled her eyes and drew the knife from her cloak again, stabbing it into the other Lycan’s thigh and dragging it along her leg. She relished in Garnet’s scream, a grin appearing on her face.

“Stop! Enough!” Garnet croaked. Surprisingly enough, Blue Diamond threw the knife away.

“Are you at your limit, my alpha?”

“Yes!”

Blue Diamond smirked again. Standing up, she walked over to the corner of the room, picking up the piece of collar. She strode back over to Garnet, clamping the collar piece back into place. The injured Lycan let out a whimper as lethargy and weakness began to set in.

“If you are truly strong enough to be my Alpha, than you’ll figure out how to resist the wolfsbane and keep yourself alive until the morning.” She stroked a hand over her cheek, before pulling away and walking towards the door.

“Oh, and your limit is disappointing… we’ll have to practice every day if we want to improve on that. Have a nice night.” The door slammed behind her. Garnet rasped, chest heaving as she tried to fight off the effects of the poison.

**_Now would be a good time to let me take control._ **

Garnet didn’t respond, all too focused on keeping herself from passing out. Blood freely leaked from her wounds.

**_She wants to break us._ **

Garnet whined, moving her shaky hands to press into the worst of her injuries.

**_We won’t let her._ **

A pant escaped from Garnet’s lips. At a snail’s pace, the wounds slowly began to heal. She could feel her eyes burn as they shifted to a golden color.

_Focus._

The wounds began to heal faster. She let out a pained growl as her body jerked involuntarily. She clenched her fists, claws digging into the skin of her palm.

Hours dragged on before the last of her injuries healed, leaving no more than scars in their wake. Garnet rolled over onto her back, pulling and tugging at her collar. She reached her hand to the back of her neck, searching for the removable panel. Her fingers grasped only at smooth steel, unable to find anything that could be pulled away.

She fell back down on the floor, splattering lukewarm blood around her.

_I can do this._

She took in a deep breath.

_I can do this._

For once, she believed her own words.


	21. Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to completely rewrite this chapter today because the "When Night Falls" file on my computer corrupted and I lost the 9 premade chapters I had :DDD

** Punishment **

****

A week passed since her kidnapping. True to her word, Blue Diamond had brought her into that same room in the dead of night every day and stabbed away at her until she gave up. Exactly seven days after the first change test, Blue Diamond made her do a second one, and once again she was subjected to being beaten until she absolutely could not hold back the beast anymore. It was draining, both mentally and physically, and the little free time she found herself having in her room was spent staring at the ceilings and daydreaming about getting out of her mess.

Garnet rubbed at her brow, golden eyes staring straight ahead at the grey ceiling. They haven’t changed back since the first time she was subjected to the “durability” test. She wondered if it was a sign that she was losing herself. She hoped not, because that meant she had even less time than she thought. With a sigh, she lifted herself from the bed and looked around the room. Garnet swallowed, throat dry.

_I should have let her kill me._

She blinked once, shifting her gaze down to her hands. She played with her claws.

_I’m never getting out of here._

**_What happened to the “I can do this” attitude?_ **

Garnet didn’t answer the beast. She fell back down on the bed and clasped her hands over her chest, gaze back on the boring ceiling.

_Even if I get out, I won’t have enough time to search for the rogue. It’ll be over for me, won’t it?_

This time, it was the beast that didn’t answer. She heard the door open, but she couldn’t be bothered to look up.

“Come, my alpha.” Blue Diamond said as she stepped in the room. “I’m tired of you sulking in here.” Garnet grumbled, but otherwise complied and sat from the bed, trudging over to Blue Diamond. She began to lead her out of the room, and Garnet half-heartedly searched for vents and weakness in the walls.

“What troubles you?”

“The fact that this isn’t working.”

“Pardon?”

“It _isn’t_ working.” Garnet repeated, voice rising from its previous murmur.

“Be more specific.”

“Look at my eyes, Blue Diamond!” Garnet snapped suddenly, pointing to the body part. The other Lycan turned around and looked at them with an indifferent expression. “I thought you said you would help me gain control and prevent this!”

“Your eyes are golden; I see nothing wrong with that.”

“I can’t change them back.” Garnet growled out lowly. Blue Diamond narrowed her eyes at the other lycan, a silent warning to cease her animosity.

“Once again, I see nothing wrong with that. You’ve had some improvement so far; your resistance to Wolfsbane has increased and you heal somewhat faster. Though your ability to change outside a full moon has somehow become worse.” Blue Diamond relayed to her. Garnet slapped a hand to her face.

“I don’t think you are seeing my point here.”

“I do; you are afraid of losing yourself, and that’s why you are sulking.” The older Lycan said. She turned around and began to walk down the hallways again, and Garnet reluctantly followed after her. “What are the differences between a mutt and a pure werewolf?”

“I don’t know.”  Garnet admitted. Blue Diamond sighed.

“A mutt is half-human, half-werewolf. A pure Lycan is a lycan.”

“Well, that makes sense.” Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. Blue Diamond shot her a look over her shoulder. Garnet glared right back.

“You hear its voice in your head, correct?” the older Lycan asked. Garnet nodded. “Pure Lycans don’t. That is exclusive only to mutts.”

“Why?”

“Because it is your human side fighting with the beast.” Blue Diamond said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s a part of you, but it doesn’t want to be a part of you, it wants to be _you.”_ She further explained. Garnet groaned and rubbed her head.

“So, this ‘control’ you are teaching me is actually just you trying to get the beast and I to become one?” She asked. The other lycan nodded.

“Precisely. The eyes show that it is working.” She said with a wave of her hands. Garnet stopped in her tracks.

“But I don’t want to be this way!” She shouted, baring her teeth and throwing her arms out. “I just want to be me again, I want to go home, I want my friends and family, and I want to have my life back again!”

“We all want things, Garnet.” The older Lycan said, not even stopping to look at her. Garnet’s face dropped. “Maybe you shouldn’t have taken the shift that night.”’

Garnet’s pupils dilated, and all the stress and tension that had been steadily building up since the first day of her kidnapping snapped.

“You fucking bitch!” Before she could get ahold of herself, she had already charged at Blue Diamond and tackled her down to the ground. “You’re saying that this is my fault?!” She slammed her fist into the back of the other Lycan’s head.

“Get off me!” Blue Diamond reached behind her wildly with her hand until she found Garnet’s chest. She shoved her off, rolling over and glaring at the other werewolf, already getting to her feet. “If you hadn’t-” She couldn’t get the sentence out before Garnet’s booted foot was in her mouth, kicking in her teeth and making her head snap back from the force. She fell back, spitting out blood and teeth. Hands grabbed the cloth of her jacket, and she was lifted and slammed into a wall.

“Back at the office… I should have finished you off then!” She pulled her forward and slammed her back into the wall. “Maybe then I wouldn’t be stuck being your personal servant!”

Claws broke through Blue Diamond’s fingernails. She swiped forward and sunk them deep into Garnet’s neck. With a roar, she backed away, holding onto the afflicted area. The wounds began to heal, and she looked up at Blue Diamond with pure hatred in her eyes.

“I am willing to pretend that didn’t happen.” The older Lycan started off evenly. Garnet’s eyes flashed, and Blue Diamond barely had enough time to side-step her charge. To her surprise, the other Lycan changed direction quickly and swung a fist at her side, hitting her ribs hard enough that she could feel one of them crack. A pained gasp escaped from her. Garnet seized her shirt collar and yanked her forward, cracking her head into her own and tossing her back onto the floor.

With a growl, Garnet began to approach the still figure of the other woman. She was staring blankly up at the ceiling.

“I’m going to give you one warning, Garnet.” Blue Diamond’s thin hand reached into her jacket, pulling out a knife that glinted in the light. “Calm down, _now_.” She sat up, knife gripped tightly in her hand. With a snarl that emitted deep from her throat, Garnet took another step forward. Blue Diamond swiped at her with the knife, cutting deep into her abdomen. Garnet stopped, looking down at the wound with confusion.

A burn started, deep within the cut, almost impossible to notice at first. But slowly it grew and grew until it felt like hot lava was being poured into it. It was a pain that took Garnet’s breath away, keeping her from screaming as she slapped a hand to the slash and held it tightly. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, letting out rasps as the burn continued to grow. Smoke began to rise from the wound as the flesh sizzled and burned.

Blue Diamond stood up, looking down at the writhing werewolf with boredom.

“I thought I wouldn’t have to go over this, but it’s obvious that I have to now.” She fiddled with the knife, careful not to touch its silver blade. “Don’t attack me outside of tests.” She sheathed the knife somewhere in the confines of her jacket and stepped over to Garnet. The other Lycan looked up at her with tearful eyes. Blue Diamond scoffed as she grabbed ahold of her shirt and began to drag her down the hallway. Garnet let out weak rasps, hands pressing to her wound and the heels of her boots digging into the ground in an attempt to keep the other werewolf from dragging her. It seemed that with each passing moment she only grew weaker and the pain became worse and worse.

“Silver has an interesting effect on Lycans.” Blue Diamond began as she continued dragging Garnet’s nearly limp body down the corridor. “It has the same suppressive properties as wolfsbane, but increased tenfold.” She stopped at a door, dropping the other lycan down as she began to fish for a key in her pockets.

“Even the smallest bit of it can poison the blood and cause instant death if the blood stream carries it to the heart. Quite remarkable.” She unlocked the door and opened it. Inside was a single chair bolted to the floor, straps attached to the limbs. “Its effects on a werewolf, depending on how pure the silver is, can last up to several days or a lifetime.” She dragged Garnet to the chair, forcing her to sit on it. Blue Diamond began to strap her in, making sure to tighten the bindings to a near-painful level.

“Silver doesn’t even need to break the skin; even surface contact can cause third degree burns.” She tied off the last of the straps, standing back to look at her handiwork. Garnet’s head hung down, involuntary tears falling from her eyes and to the floor. Blue Diamond let out another scoff at the display. She grabbed a fistful of Garnet’s hair and shoved her head back so they could make eye contact.

“Is there something you want to say to me?”

Garnet’s lips moved but no sound came out.

“All it takes is just two words to prevent further punishment.” She reached a hand into her jacket and pulled the silver knife out. Garnet eyed it with terror. “Come on. Speak.”

She tried again. Only wheezes and squeaks escaped.

“Pathetic.” She thrust the knife into her shoulder, sticking it through until the very tip of it poked out the back of her shoulder. She yanked it out, smiling at Garnet’s wheezes as she tried to emit a scream.

“What were you saying about being back at the office again?” Blue Diamond said as she began to clean off the knife on her robe. “I don’t think I heard you right.”

“Na… Nothing…” Garnet managed to spit out, head falling forward again. Her shoulder felt as though it was encased in fire.

“Such a shame, I was planning on taking you to meet Yellow Diamond today, show off how well behaved you are.” She twirled the knife. “I maybe would have even let you go outside for a little while. That’s not happening now, is it?” She hovered the knife over her leg.

“Now, what were those two words again?”

“I... I’m…” Garnet tried to get the last word out but her mouth refused to work. All she could focus on was the immense pain.

“I’m-?” Blue Diamond narrowed her eyes, pressing the knife tip to her pants. Garnet took in a deep, shaky breath, chest quivering from the action.

“Sah…Sor…Sorry.”

“Good,” Blue Diamond sheathed the knife away. “You’ll remain in this room until the effects of the silver subside. Meanwhile, I’ll have to face the embarrassment of telling Yellow Diamond that you cannot meet her today because of your ‘meltdown’.” She turned and left through the open door, closing it on her way out.

A pained gasp escaped Garnet’s lips as tried to lift her head, but to no avail. She was forced to keep her head down, looking straight at her bleeding and smoking stomach. She swallowed heavily, feeling salvia flood her mouth and her stomach flip. Gagging, she emptied her stomach’s contents down onto her lap and the floor below. Black dotted her vision. Her eyes shut and world around her disappeared into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short, single scene chapter today but whatever little drive I have left for this story was killed in one fell swoop by that incident :DDD

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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